Worth the Risk
by footprints358
Summary: As a firefighter, Edward faces danger on a regular basis. He knows how to assess risky situations to determine the best possible result. When a shy kindergarten teacher stumbles into his life, will he be able to make the right call? Will Bella be able to handle the fire that comes with Edward's life? Is "happily ever after" worth the risk? Adult language and humor. Cannon couples
1. Chapter 1

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 1_

The fire was raging and quickly consuming the walls. Edward knew that time was running out. He had to get his team through the house before the ceiling started to burn. Looking to his left, he saw his partner and nodded. They proceeded to the next room and finally found what they were looking for. Once he had it safely in his arms, he called out on his radio:

"House is clear. Yogi and Boo-Boo on our way out."

As they made their way carefully back out of the burning house, he heard the rest of his team's response.

"Butch and Sundance clear and on our way out."

"Kudjo and Lassie clear and on our way out."

When Edward made it through the charred doorway of the house, he ran down the porch and straight to the little girl that was being held back by both of her parents. Opening his arms, he gently placed the small, scared kitten at her feet. Pulling off his helmet, he said gently, "Here you go, sweetheart. He's okay. The black will come right off with a bath."

The little girl looked up into Edward's eyes with tears running down her face. Throwing up her arms, she launched herself at Edward and squeezed him around his neck. Whispering in his ear, she said softly, "Thank you, Mr. Firefighter. You saved Boots."

Turning back to her mom, the little girl said, "See Mommy? Superheroes are real."

Edward clutched a hand to his heart and nodded to the little girl's parents before walking back to the truck to join his team. As he always did at the end of a fire, he took a mental inventory of his team.

His partner Emmett McCarty, otherwise known as Yogi, was helping Garrett with the hose. Jasper Whitlock, better known as Butch, was lending a hand on the other side of the truck with the second hose. Jasper's partner Peter Collins, or Sundance, was on the talking to the Captain. The two youngest on the team, Jacob Black, or Kudjo, and Seth Clearwater, aka Lassie, were checking the gears on the truck and closing the hydrant.

When the house was safe and secure, they closed up and loaded everything back on the truck. Everyone rode in silence as Garrett made his way back to the station. After the adrenaline rush of fighting a fire, the guys had an unspoken rule to keep quiet on the ride back as a way to wind down and decompress.

All in all, today was a good day. The family got out before the fire took the house, and a little girl got her kitten back. They may have lost their home, their clothes, and their toys, but they still had their lives. Although their pictures may be burned and damaged, they have the rest of their days to make more memories. Every pair of firefighters that went into the house came back out to fight another battle on another day.

When all of the suits were put away, all of the guys hit the showers to wash away the stench of the smoke. It was just past one in the morning, and they were all beat. While some of the guys would eventually wander to the kitchen for a snack, Edward opted to jump straight into bed. He was beat, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before the siren went off again.

At five thirty, Bella's alarm went off. Groaning, she slid her hand out of the warmth of her blankets to shut it off. She sat up immediately because she knew if she lay there long enough, she'd fall back asleep and end up being late. The morning passed quickly as she walked through her small one bedroom apartment to gather her things for work. By 6:15 she was out the door and in her big, red Chevy truck.

The sun was just coming up as she drove to the elementary school where she worked. As much as she hated waking up, she loved this time of the morning because it was so beautiful. The pinks and oranges that crossed the sky made her smile. As she parked her car and made her way to her classroom, she took a deep breath and steadied herself for another busy day of wrangling 20 kindergarteners.

As Bella got her lesson plans ready for the day, she heard a small knock on the door. Looking up, she saw Alice Brandon standing in the doorway.

"I come bearing coffee," Alice said holding out a steaming cup. "Grande Americano with a half inch of soy and two packets of Splenda."

Bella wrapped both hands around the cup and walked back to her desk. Alice followed with her own cup and perched herself on the corner of Bella's desk. Reaching into her bag, Bella brought out a bag with two cranberry scones. "My contribution to breakfast."

"Is this from the bakery down the street?" Alice asked as she took one of the scones.

"Yup. I stopped on my way home yesterday," Bella took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "Perfect."

A few minutes into breakfast, there was another knock on the door. Alice and Bella both turned to see the school's principal, Rosalie Hale, standing in the doorway. "Do I smell coffee and scones?"

"Yes," Alice and Bella answered together.

Pouting, Rosalie said, "You guys suck. You know I can't have that."

Bella pulled an apple and a banana out of her bag. "You decided that you absolutely had to run a half marathon. You can have rabbit food for breakfast. Don't hate on ours."

Grabbing the banana, Rosalie said, "I feel like my ass is getting jellified sitting behind that desk all day. You guys get to run after the kids and play. The only time I get to get out is during recess, and that doesn't really count."

The three continued to make small talk for a few more minutes before they noticed the time. Rosalie went to her office, and Alice went back to her classroom next door. Bella walked through her classroom to make sure that she had everything she needed for her first lesson. It had only been a month since she'd moved to Phoenix from Jacksonville, and every day she got a little more confident that her decision to move was the right one. She was happy that she was able to find a job quickly and that Rosalie and Alice became fast friends. They'd taken her under their wings and made sure that she felt at home both at school and in the town.

Soon enough the first bell rang and she heard little feet start down the hallway. One by one her little wonders started to walk through the door to greet her with hugs and high fives before they took their seats at their desks. Looking at all of their smiling faces, Bella felt her heart warm. It was those looks right there that drove her every day.

At eight, most of the guys were awake and getting ready to switch teams. Edward grabbed his backpack and went to check out with his Captain. Once he loaded up his car, he made his way into town and stopped at a small coffee shop. Picking up one black drip for himself, he also got one non-fat vanilla latte and walked to the building two doors down. Getting in the elevator, he went up to the top floor.

When the elevator doors opened, he smiled at the name on the frosted glass doors, "Cullen Interior Design." Edward walked into the lobby and smiled quickly at his mother's receptionist without making too much eye contact. Looking down, he said, "Good morning, Jessica. Is my mom available?"

Jessica stood up and licked her teeth to make sure there was no lipstick on them before she aimed her best smile at Edward. Pushing her shoulder's back, she stood straighter and hoped her boobs looked good. "Good morning, Edward. Yes, your mom's here and just settling in. You look-"

"Jessica! Stop flirting with my son and get back to work," Esme yelled from her office.

Edward held back his laugh and nodded to Jessica before walking into his mom's corner office. Shutting the door behind him, he placed the coffee on her desk.

"Edward, didn't I tell you to stop dazzling my staff? It distracts them," Esme said with a smile. Walking over, she gave Edward a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Mom, didn't I tell you to stop hiring bitches in heat?" Edward sat down in the chair across the desk and took a sip of his coffee.

"Edward Anthony!"

"Tell me it's not true," Edward dared his mother with raised eyebrows. When Esme said nothing, he said, "I wouldn't say it if it weren't an accurate assessment. Malibu Barbie out there can't wait to sink her claws into me. I don't even want to look her dead in the eye. Can STDs be transmitted through eye contact? Maybe I should ask Dad."

"Stop it, Edward," Esme said stifling a laugh by taking a sip of her coffee. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this morning, son?"

"Got a called to a fire last night. 'Just wanted to let you know I'm okay," he said.

Smiling softly, Esme said, "Thank you, son. I heard about the fire on the news this morning. I thought that might've been you. I'm glad no one was hurt last night."

"Yeah, we won. The fire lost," Edward leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Are you off for the day?"

Edward just nodded. "I'm free today. Go back tomorrow for another 24-hour shift. I have to go home and do some laundry. I'm out of clean underwear."

"That's disgusting, Edward," Esme said with a roll of her eyes. "You're getting a little old to be living out of laundry baskets."

"Didn't you read the last issue of People Magazine, mom? 30 is the new 20. I've still got at least 10 more years of living like this," Edward said as he threw his mom his most dazzling smile.

"God help us all. You're lucky I'm not the type of mom that nags about settling down, getting married, and popping out grandchildren."

Edward looked Esme dead in the eye and said, "No, mom. You're not a nagger. You're craftier than that. You throw out passive aggressive, underhanded statements."

"Damn right," Esme winked at Edward. "Now get out. I have to get a bid ready for a ten o'clock. Don't forget to call or text your dad so he knows you're okay too. Will we see you this week?"

"Yeah. I'm off on Sunday. Tell dad I'll be by to watch the game." With that, Edward walked over and kissed his mother on the forehead before walking out of her office.

He praised God, Buddha, Allah, and Michael Jackson that Jessica was on the phone when he passed her desk. Making his way down to his car, Edward tried to remember if he had laundry detergent at home. When he couldn't remember what kind of detergent he even liked to use, he growled in frustration. Maybe there was some legitimacy to what his mom was hinting at. If he had someone in his life, then he wouldn't be going home to an empty house, and he'd have someone to remind him what kind of detergent he liked.

After school, Bella checked her phone and saw that she had a series of text messages from her mother, which was surprising because Renee was one of the most technologically challenged people on Earth.

"B, Phil got me a new cell phone! Look what he taught me to do!"

"You can text me now, and I'll be able to answer you back. He even showed me how to go online from my phone. That's the most amazing thing. Who needs computers?!"

"Did you know there all kinds of abbreviations that you can use? LOL."

"B, you should see all the cool stuff they have online. Some of it just makes me LMAO. Some of it was so good I felt like ROFLMAO."

"Oh, honey, did you know that you can get anything, I mean ANYTHING online? Maybe you should sign up for one of these dating sites? It might help you meet people in your new city. YOLO, sweetie."

Bella threw her phone back in her purse and cursed Phil for teaching her mother how to text. Why did he need to give that woman a new way to cause trouble? Renee was like a little kid on too many pixie sticks when you taught her a new trick. She got all hyper and obsessed over it until her passion for it fizzled out. That's how Renee was with all of her fad hobbies – Tae Bo, Yoga, Pilaties, Pi-Yo, Zumba, and now it was Cross Fit. She was afraid her mom was going to turn into some hard bodied, She-Ra.

Why couldn't Renee be like other mothers and take up knitting? Then Bella's mind went through what it might actually be like. When she pictured the horrendous beanies, scarves, and sweaters she'd have to wear, she decided that maybe texting wasn't so bad.

Sighing, Bella thought, "Moms…"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you for your patience and your support of the story! _

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 2_

On Saturday morning, the crew from Engine 17 washed the trucks. It was part of their routine. The garage doors got rolled up, and Garret moved the trucks out and into the driveway. All of the guys wore their standard issue PFD gray tee shirts and blue Dickies pants. Jasper and Peter filled up the buckets with soap, while Emmett and Edward got the sponges. Jacob and Seth brought out the squeegees and everyone got to work.

Midway through, Emmett disappeared. After about five minutes, the guys started noticing his absence.

Looking around, Edward asked, "Hey, where did that fucker go?"

Jasper shrugged and continued to scrub the rims of tires. "Maybe he had to take a shit. You saw what he ate for breakfast."

Shuddering, Jacob added, "Seriously. I'll eat basically anything, but who the fuck eats Baked Beans on instant ramen with cheddar cheese? That's disgusting."

"If he destroys the john he better clean it up," Edward said.

A minute later, there was a whoosh past Edward's ear and a splash hit the side of his face. A few seconds later, a wet splat hit Jasper square in the back. All of the guys looked at each other and then at the roof of the firehouse.

"That dick!" Seth said right before he got hit in the stomach with a big, orange water balloon.

All of the guys on the ground scrambled around to see if they could see where Emmett was hiding. When they found him, Garrett got the water hose they were using to wash the trucks and aimed it high. He managed to hit Emmett square in the ear. With a squeal, Emmett dropped to the ground.

A few minutes later, a soaking wet Emmett joined the rest of his crew on the ground. Shaking his head to get the water out of his ear, he turned to Garrett and asked, "How did you manage that shot with the regular water hose? That's pretty damn good."

"Don't doubt my mad hose skills," Garrett said with a cocky nod of his head.

"Yeah, you've been single for at least six months. I bet you and your hose are really well acquainted," Peter said.

Garrett whipped his head towards Peter and flipped him the bird. "Fuck off, asshole. Not all of us have a lovely lady to go home to like you. If Charlotte ever gets tired of your stupid ass, she's more than welcome to come see daddy."

While the guys ribbed each other and finished up washing the truck before the Chief started wondering why it was taking them so long, the two ladies that lived down the street from the fire house slowed their jog.

"Mmmmmm, I love Saturdays," Tanya said, as she slowed her pace to almost a walk.

"Hell yeah. Look at those wet tee shirts. Do you see the pecs on all those men?" Irina said. They continued to slow until they basically stopped to stare.

Feeling the gazes on his back, Edward shuddered. Mumbling quietly, he said, "Don't look now, but the twins are back."

Jasper felt the hair on the back of his neck go up. "I hate Saturday mornings. They always come by to ogle us. It makes me feel so violated."

Jacob slowly started to scoot his way behind the truck to stay hidden. "Why can't we change our chore schedule? If we didn't wash the trucks, we wouldn't be outside when they went for their run."

Seth just laughed. "Dude, if you had just ignored them like the rest of us, it wouldn't be so bad for you."

Emmett let out a louder guffaw. Quieting down, he added, "Yeah, man. We told you not to dip your stick into the diseased well, and you didn't listen."

Stomping his foot like a little kid, Jacob tried to defend himself. "They offered me a threesome! What was I supposed to do?"

"Say no!" They all said.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Really, Jacob. A threesome was worth having a big fucking cotton swab shoved up your dick to get tested for chlamydia?"

"Fuck, Jacob. Not only were you dumb enough to jump into bed with them, but you didn't wrap yourself?" Edward said, shuddering at just the thought of having anything go up his dick. That was an exit only.

"Dude, we told you. There's the good kind of dirty girl. The kind that will show up at your door in just a coat and sexy underwear, then ride your ass reverse cowgirl while showing some love to your balls. Then there's the nasty kind of dirty girl that has crabs, Hep C, and tons of other bacteria in her sheets. You gotta be smarter young Padawan," Emmett said shaking his head.

"Wow, Em," Edward said as he shook his head. Even after ten years, there still moments when his friend surprised him.

Seth looked at Emmett with wide eyes, and said, "Teach me."

Slapping a hand on Seth's shoulder, Peter pushed Seth away from Emmett. "Come on, Pup. Let's go start the floors inside."

Bella felt like her lungs were going to explode. Her legs were turning to jelly, and she was pretty sure that she was the color of a tomato. Putting her hands on her hips, she slowed to a walk. Next to her, Alice was panting like an overly excited little puppy. Putting a hand to her forehead, Alice slowed to walk next to Bella.

"I think I lost feeling in my legs, "Alice panted.

"Me too. I feel like I could fall over at any second. How long have we been running anyway?"

Alice looked at her watch, "Almost a half hour. I think I'm going to die."

Together, Alice and Bella made their way over to the grassy knoll and sat down. After about ten minutes of catching their breath, Rose came running up the hill. Jogging in place, she said, "What the crap?! Why did you stop?"

"We were dying!" Alice said with her arm over her eyes as she lay back on the grass.

"I thought we were going to run together," Rose pouted as she continued to jump around to keep her heart rate up.

"Rose, our legs are so much shorter than yours. It takes two of our strides to make one of yours," Bella said leaning back onto her elbows.

"Fine you lazy butts. I'm almost done. Meet me back at the car in 20 minutes," Rose said as she took off down the hill and back onto the jogging path.

Bella fell back onto the grass and looked up at the sky. Elbowing Alice, she said, "Hey, doesn't that cloud right there look like Dumbo?"

Alice laughed. "Yeah it does. That one over there looks like two turtles doing it."

"What?!" Bella looked over to where Alice was pointing and laughed. "Oh my god, it does. Did you know that when two turtles have sex they make a clicking noise?"

Alice turned her head to look at Bella. "Ew! How do you know that?"

"At my previous school, we took the kids on a field trip to the zoo. When we went past the tortoise exhibit there were two turtles mating. Whenever their shells connected it made a clicking noise. Try explaining that to a bunch of five year olds," Bella said laughing.

Alice laughed and asked, "Do you miss Jacksonville and your old school? It's been a little over a month now."

Bella shrugged and kept looking at the clouds as they passed over the sky. "I miss my students, but I don't miss my life there. I'm glad that I moved. There was nothing there for me anymore. Renee has her own life now with Phil, and I think it's freeing for her to not have to worry about me."

"Why do you call your mom, Renee?" Alice asked.

"She told me to," Bella said. "When I was in junior high, she got it in her head that it meant that we were closer if I called her by her first name. She didn't want me to be one of those teenagers that despised their parents. She thought that if I called her by her first name, we'd be best friends."

"Did it work?" For the whole time that Bella had been in Phoenix, Bella hadn't once mentioned being homesick. She wasn't sure if Bella hid her emotions well, or if she really didn't miss her old home.

Bella shrugged again. "We have a good relationship. I mean, we're not super close, and I don't tell her everything. Renee is like a kid with ADHD. She's really enthusiastic about everything, and she jumps head first into the big pool of life without looking. I'm more like my dad. I've always been more reserved and laid back than her, so we didn't always have a lot in common."

At the mention of her dad, Bella's voice caught a tinge of sadness. Alice turned her head and looked at Bella. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad that you're here. I knew we were meant to be friends when you moved in next door to Rose and I."

Bella met Alice's smile. "I'm glad I'm here too. I needed a fresh start. It was time for me to get out and make a life of my own."

Noticing the time, Bella and Alice stood up to go back to the car to meet Rose. As they were walking on the path, a couple of tall, lean men ran past them in running shorts. Blowing out a breath, Alice said softly, "That's the one good thing about running. Guys in shorts. Look at those buns!"

When Bella just laughed, Alice turned to look at Bella. Grabbing her arm, she said, "Oh my god, I just realized what a crappy friend I am!"

Bella's brow furrowed. "You're not a crappy friend. What makes you say that?"

"Because, silly, I don't even know what kind of guys you like! How can I introduce you to nice guys if I don't even know your type?"

Laughing, Bella said, "I don't think not knowing my time means that you're a crappy friend, Alice. Besides, I don't know what kind of guy you like either. We've all been so wrapped up with the start of the school year that we haven't really talked about much else."

"So?" Alice asked. When they reached the car, Rose was already there stretching her hamstring on the bumper. "Hey, Rose, did you realize that we don't even know Bella's type? How can we help her find a nice guy if we don't know what we're looking for?"

Rose's head popped up, and she smiled. "That's right! Let's continue this discussion in the car. It's hot out here."

When they were in the car with the air conditioner turned up all the way, Rose asked, "So, Bella, do you like 'em big, lean, tall, dark, blond? Come on, sharing is caring."

Bella laughed and looked out the window. "Um, I don't know. What kind of guys do you like?"

"What do you mean you don't know? You always know what makes your girly bits tingle, Bella," Alice said with absolute seriousness. "Tall, lean, blond guys make me all warm and fuzzy."

"I like 'em big and strong," Rose said. "And that makes me all hot and bothered, not warm and fuzzy. Let's keep it real."

Bella just laughed at her friends. "I guess I just never thought of it like that."

"Well, what did your ex-boyfriends look like?" Alice asked. From the backseat, she leaned forward into the middle console between Rose and Bella's seats.

"My first boyfriend Mike had blond hair and blue eyes. He wasn't much taller than me, and he had a little bit of baby fat in his belly. My college boyfriend Riley had light brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn't much taller than Mike, and he was kind of skinny."

"Did either of them make your lady bits all tingly?" Rose asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Bella thought about it, and said, "Actually, no. They were nice, but it's not like there was anything intense physically."

"So, you're saying it was vanilla sex then?" Rose asked.

Bella blushed a little at Rose's bluntness , and said, "I guess. I've never had anything different, so I can't really say for sure."

"Have you ever felt like you were going to black out during or after an orgasm?" Rose said.

Bella dropped her head into her hands and laughed.

"What does that mean?" Alice asked.

Bella shook her head in her hands and said in a muffled voice, "Answering that question would imply that I've had an orgasm during sex, or actually had an orgasm that wasn't self-inflicted."

"Oh my god!" Alice and Rose said together.

"Well, maybe I'm just not built for that, you know? Maybe I'm not a sexual kind of girl." Bella said softly, feeling her cheeks and the tips of her ears burn bright red.

"No, honey," Rose said. "You just haven't met the right guy yet. When you watch movies, what actor do you think is hot?"

Bella thought about all the movies she'd seen recently, and said, "Well, the guy in _Water for Elephants_ was pretty hot."

"Okay," Alice said with conviction. "That we can work with."

_A/N: Have a great weekend! Next update on Monday._


	3. Chapter 3

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 3_

Around one, Jasper and Edward heard a bunch of noise coming from the kitchen. Getting up from their spot on the couch in the lounge, they walked to the kitchen. When they opened the door, they saw Emmett with his ass sticking out of the refrigerator.

"What the fuck are you doing? It sounds like a family of monkeys is playing in here," Jasper said.

Pulling himself out of the refrigerator, Emmett turned around and pouted. "I'm first world hungry!"

"Dude, the kitchen is full of food. Just make yourself something," Edward said, gesturing to the cabinets full of food.

"Preferably something that doesn't make the whole house smell like ass. Your breakfast was rank, man. Seriously," Jasper added, fanning his face for good measure.

"I know we have tons of food. That's my point! I'm fucking starving, but there's nothing I want to eat. Hence being first world hungry and not third world hungry, duh!" Emmett grabbed his stomach and rubbed circles on it to soothe the beast.

"Hmmm," Edward thought. "You must be hungry. You don't use big kid words like 'hence' unless you're hungry."

"Or really tired," Jasper said with a shrug of his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Edward, "It's been quiet on the scanner all over town."

Shaking his head, Edward said, "All right. Let's go to the supermarket. Hurry the fuck up and tell the Captain."

* * *

After the girls returned home from their run, Bella did some quick house work. Since she was already gross and sweaty, she figured it was the best time to do the dirty work around the house. She mopped the kitchen and vacuumed the living room, hallway and bedroom. She saved the bathroom for last. After she scrubbed down the tub, she stripped her clothes off and jumped in. She figured she'd do her small part to save the environment and rinse the tub and her body at the same time.

When she was dressed, she looked at the clock and saw that it was just about one in the afternoon. Saturdays always went by way too quickly for Bella's taste. Feeling her stomach growl, Bella realized that she hadn't really eaten much yet. All she'd had was an Americano and a banana after her run with Rose and Alice. She and Alice had tried to be supportive of Rose and their morning run by "being good" and only eating a banana.

Turns out, 'being good' wasn't such a good idea. Bella's stomach continued to voice its discontent, and growled a second time even louder. When she got to the kitchen, Bella opened her refrigerator. Staring inside, she saw that she only had an apple, half a stick of butter, some soy milk, and a half empty jar of Dijon mustard. She'd been so busy this past month with her new school and her new students that she'd kept her shopping to a minimum. More times than she cared to admit, dinner came from the ready-made section at the supermarket. On rough days, dinner came right to her door in a big square box with extra cheese, pepperoni and jalapenos.

Bella glanced in the mirror in the bathroom. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to forego make-up and kept her hair in its messy pony tail. It was just a quick trip to the supermarket. Who needed to get dolled up just for that? It wasn't like anyone important was going to see her. Dressed in her lazy day jeans shorts and comfy gray tee-shirt, Bella threw on a pair of flip flops and grabbed her purse.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were in the nearest supermarket, and Edward was stuck being the bitch and pushing the shopping cart. As Emmett walked down every single aisle to find the one thing that would satisfy his hunger, Jasper strolled around in the produce section. That was Jasper's thing. He would walk slowly around the fruits and vegetables until a pretty lady came to look at the same item. He would then proceed to ask the pretty lady about her method of determining the perfect ripeness of a fruit or vegetable.

Edward looked around the produce section and then expanded his gaze to the entire market. Chuckling to himself, Edward saw that the market was filled with old ladies and frat boys buying beer for their Saturday nights. Poor Jasper. He was going to have to wait a while.

Since they were at the market, Edward figured he should make use of the trip. Turning the corner, he went down the cereal aisle. Edward noticed that there was a large pyramid of Cheerios stacked up in the middle of the aisle on sale. He considered it for a second before turning to the hundreds of other boxes stacked on the shelf. As he read all the different titles and looked at all the different pictures, he wracked his brain to remember what kind of cereal it was that he liked. Damn, he sucked at remembering stuff like that.

Just as Edward reached forward to grab a box of strawberry flavored Frosted Mini Wheats, the entire pyramid of Cheerios came crashing down, right on top of him. Edward ducked his head and felt himself get buried by the boxes. He heard a female voice gasp and cuss.

Edward's head was still ducked when he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the cutest set of glittery pink toe nails. Then he heard it. It was a soft, sexy voice muttering.

Bella couldn't believe it. Her clumsiness had claimed yet another victim. As she rushed forward to check if there were survivors, she couldn't stop the words coming from her mouth. "Shit. Fuck. Goddamnit. Son of a bitch. Stupid ass flip flops. Should've worn shoes!"

Stopping in front of the mound of cereal boxes, Bella looked at her victim. He had to be at least 6' 2", almost a whole foot taller than her. When his eyes travelled up her body and met hers, she felt herself gasp again. _Holy shit_, she thought. _It's the guy from Water for Elephants. I killed him._

Bella tried to snap herself out of her own thoughts to say something. What came out kind of sounded like the noise that Beaker from _The Muppets_ makes. When her victim just laughed, she tried again. "I am SO SORRY. Are you okay?"

Edward couldn't help the small laugh that came out. That might've been the most endearing noise he'd ever heard. As he watched the pretty brown eyes fill with worry and embarrassment, he quickly said, "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

Bella found herself with her fingers wound tightly together. Wringing her hands and squeezing her fingers, she felt her face flood with blush. "I'm all right. I just tripped because the front of my flip flops caught the floor. I tried to brace myself on the cart, but it got pushed forward instead and knocked over the whole pyramid of cereal. Who the fuck builds that kind of shit in an aisle anyway?"

When she realized what she'd said, Bella's hands flew to her mouth. From under her hand she muttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I mean I did, but not like that. I tend to swear a lot when I'm flustered."

Edward laughed. Reaching forward, he gently put his hand on her wrist to pull her hand down from her pretty mouth. Looking at her perfectly full lips, he said, "Don't worry. You didn't offend me. I'm a firefighter. I live with about ten guys every other day. Nothing you could say or do would offend me."

At his touch, Bella felt her blush burn brighter, which she didn't even think was possible. Looking around, she noticed all of the boxes on the ground. Groaning a little, she sighed. "Let me help you out of this."

Edward just took a couple of steps forward and nudged his way out of the mountain of boxes at his feet. "It's okay. Let's just push it all to the side. The bored looking stock boy can build his pyramid again later."

As they worked side by side to get the boxes pushed neatly on the side, Edward glanced at Bella's hands. _No ring_, Edward thought. Giving a mental fist pump, Edward thought for a second. He wasn't the kind of guy that went around hitting on girls all the time or trying to pick them up whenever the opportunity arose. He wasn't Jasper or Jacob for crying out loud. In fact, he usually tried to avoid women all together. He enjoyed them, but it got old fast having women throw themselves at him. After his last relationship, Edward had decided to take a break from dating to just relax and be free of all the drama that came with women.

When all of the boxes were stacked neatly on the side, Bella noticed that there was a box in Edward's cart. Motioning to it, she asked, "Did you mean to buy the box or did it fall in on accident? I can take it out for you."

Edward smiled and shook his head. "Nah, leave it. I think I'll revisit Cheerios this week. I couldn't remember the type of cereal I wanted anyway. Maybe this was a sign."

Bella laughed lightly. "Maybe."

Just as Edward was about to say something, he heard the PA system for the market turn on. "Attention shoppers, we are looking for a little lost boy. Would Booboo please report to the customer service counter? Booboo to the customer service counter."

Throwing his head back, Edward groaned. "Fucking assholes."

Looking up, Edward noticed that Bella had a confused look on her face. Weight his options quickly, Edward reached forward and grabbed her hand gently. "I'm Edward Cullen. I have to run, but I want to ask you something."

Bella looked down at their hands and back up to Edward's face. "I'm Bella Swan. Ask away."

"I don't usually do this, but this is the most fun I've had at a supermarket in a really long time. I know you don't know me, so I won't ask for your number. Are you doing anything tomorrow morning around 9 a.m.?" Edward knew his time was running out before the guys made the manager throw out an even more embarrassing announcement.

"It depends. What are my options?" Bella asked. She'd never been so bold before, but there was something about Edward that made her feel safe enough to be brave.

Edward felt what his mother called his "dazzling smile" spread across his face. "My shift ends tomorrow morning. I'll be at the Starbucks on 3rd and Pine if you want to meet up for coffee."

Bella felt her heart flutter at the smile he was giving her. This guy might actually be better looking than the _Elephants_ actor. Bella gave him a shy smile and said softly, "I'll think about it."

"I'll take that," Edward said. Winking at her, he said, "I hope I see you tomorrow, Bella Swan. Be careful in those flip flops."

Bella felt her jaw drop a little as her blush returned. She watched him quickly retreat down the aisle, and turned to look at her long forgotten cart. Glancing between the cart and the cereal aisle, she tried to remember what she'd even walked down here to get.

When Edward got to the customer service counter, he saw Emmett and Jasper sitting behind the counter with the manager, a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties, who was batting her eyelashes at Jasper. Edward stopped a few feet from the counter. When Jasper and Emmett's eyes met his, Edward looked around quickly. When he knew no one was looking, he flipped them the bird.

Emmett and Jasper just laughed and picked up their baskets from the floor. Jasper turned towards the manager and said, "Thank you very much for all of your help today, Shelley. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Edward watched with mild amusement as Jasper picked up Shelley's hand to kiss the top of it. When they were all walking towards the registers, Edward looked at his friend. "Have you no shame? Preying on cougars now, J?"

"Hey now, I'm a lover not a fighter. I don't discriminate, you ageist mother fucker," Jasper said as he loaded his food on the belt.

"If you're chasing older women, that would make you the _mother_ fucker, J," Emmett said as he loaded all two of his full baskets onto the belt after Jasper. "Where the hell did you wander off to, Ed? I thought you really did get lost for a second."

Edward watched as Emmett unloaded kielbasa, salt and vinegar potato chips, sweet pickles, deviled ham, fudge stripe cookies, and honey roasted peanuts from his basket. Feeling his stomach roll just looking at the mess of food, Edward shrugged his shoulders and said, "I got caught in the cereal aisle."

Looking in Edward's cart, Emmett said, "Couldn't remember what kind you liked again? After all that thinking all you ended up with was Cheerios? How boring. You know Lucky Charms are the most awesome thing ever. I should've gotten some of those too. Damn."

* * *

Bella finished her shopping and made her way back home. The entire time she'd been shopping, she was thinking about Edward. She wasn't sure what she should do. Should she go and meet him for coffee? Or would was that just stupid? She was a cop's daughter, so she knew that there was always some risk involved in meeting someone that she'd just met, even in a public place. But, she was also Renee's daughter. This was probably her only chance to see Edward again since they hadn't exchanged numbers.

By the time all of her food was put away, Bella had gone back and forth over the "what ifs" and "why nots" so many times that she was just confusing herself. Opening her door, Bella took two steps across the hall and knocked on the door.

Bella could hear feet shuffling behind the door before it opened. When Rose opened the door, she said, "Alice is painting her toenails and couldn't get even if she's closer. What's up? You miss us already?"

Bella bit her bottom lip walked through the door when Rose stepped aside in silent invitation. Sitting down on the couch next to where Alice was on the floor fanning her now bright purple toes, she said, "I need some advice. I've encountered analysis paralysis, and I can't think anymore."

"What's got you thinking so hard? Do we need booze to loosen up the brain cells? I've got some patron around here somewhere," Rose said looking around.

"That might not be such a bad idea," Bella muttered. Looking up at Rose and Alice's shocked faces, she steadied herself. Then, in one long breath, it all came out. "I went to the market, and I was stupid enough to wear flip flops. I tripped and decimated a cereal pyramid, which killed a really hot fire fighter. He looks like the _Water for Elephants_ guy but way sexier. I didn't kill him. Thank god, and he asked me to meet him for coffee tomorrow morning. What do I do?"

Rose and Alice looked at each other and then back at Bella.

"You met a guy at the market? How do you know he was a fire fighter?" Alice asked.

"He had on a dark blue shirt that had "FIRE" across the chest in big yellow letters," Bella said.

"If he's as hot as you said he is, why are you even questioning whether to go or not?" Rose asked. "You go and when you do, you ask if he has hot friends. Remember, I like big and strong."

"I like lean and blond," Alice said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "Fire fighters are sexy beasts. I would kill to have one pick me up and do the fire man's carry right into the bedroom."

"Hell yeah," Rose said fanning herself. "Now, tell us why you don't think you should go."

Bella shrugged and said, "I barely talked to him for a few minutes. How do I know he's not some weird serial killer that has plans to chop me up and bury me in his backyard? What if he just wants to get into my pants and that's it? What if he talks to me and decides that I'm boring and plain?"

Rose put her hand on Bella's knee and said, "What if he's so hot that all that comes out of his mouth is gibberish because all the good genes went to his face and not his brain? But what if he's sexy and smart? What if he sees you for who you really are, a beautiful, fun, witty babe? Hell, if I ever switched teams, I'd go for you."

Bella just laughed and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Rose."

Alice scooted her butt, so she was facing Bella. "Bella, I think it's a great time for you to branch out and do something that you wouldn't normally do, like have coffee with a man that you just. You said that it's your time to do things on your own and start over. Embrace it. You've to nothing to lose. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But oh my god, what if it does?"

"If it does, you better find out if he has single fire fighter friends," Rose said. "I'm serious. I love me some hunky men in uniform."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for all of your support of this story! For those of you who have asked questions:_

_Frequency of updates: 3 - 4 times/week, possibly more if I have time  
_

_Ages: Bella and Alice (28), Jasper and Edward (30), Rose and Emmett (31)_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thank you for your patience and all of the amazing reviews!_

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 4_

It was just before 6 a.m. when the siren in the firehouse of Engine 17 went off. Jumping out of bed, all of the guys raced to get their uniforms on. Even though the sun was just peeking out over the horizon and everyone was still half asleep, the men moved with efficiency and trained skill. They each knew where everything was, and they didn't miss a beat.

Before they knew it, they were jumping into the truck and racing towards a small house on the outside of town. According to dispatch, the house had been abandoned and a neighbor called it in when flames began to shoot through the windows facing his house.

When they arrived at the house, everyone loaded on their full gear. After the captain spoke to the first responders, he found that there were rumors of homeless people squatting in the abandoned house. Mentally cursing, all of the guys got ready to go in to search for anyone that might've been trapped inside. As per their usual order, Emmett and Edward went in first, followed by Jasper and Peter, and last by Jacob and Seth.

Inside of a burning house, time stands still and races simultaneously. Everyone had a mental clock counting the seconds before it became too dangerous to stay any longer. As the flames burned loudly along the walls, it almost felt like being in a movie and someone hit the pause button. Each pair of eyes scanned the rooms to make sure that no one missed anything, and more importantly, anyone. No one noticed anymore how hot it got or how bright the flames burned.

When all of the rooms in the small two story house had been cleared, each of the three pairs exited the building. That was always the most important thing for Edward – everyone that went in needed to come out. In his 10 years as a firefighter, he had never lost a man, and he hoped he never would. He'd heard too many stories about firefighters getting caught inside of buildings and never making it home to their families.

Hours later, when the all that was left of the house were smoldering embers, the men loaded back into the truck. As Garrett pulled onto the street to head back towards the station, Edward noted the time. It was 10:08 a.m. He had missed coffee with the pretty Bella Swan.

That morning, Bella had to fight off Rose and Alice. They both insisted on watching her get ready for her "date" and felt the need to comment on every shirt she took out of her closet. Finally, she kicked them out and got ready in the peace of her own home without their help. She'd been dressing herself for almost 30 years, and she didn't feel the need to give up that part of her independence.

Although there was a shred of doubt that crept in right before she left the house. Edward was such a good looking guy. What if he looked at her again and thought that she was just too plain? Shaking her head, she reminded herself that he asked her to coffee when she was in her comfy clothes without any make-up. Now that she was in her favorite pair of jeans with a nice, blue blouse with her hair and make-up done, she felt more put together and presentable.

Bella got to the Starbucks about ten minutes early. Anticipating that she might arrive before he did, she brought her lesson plans to work on. After she got her Grande Americano, she went to sit at a table in the corner. Bella pulled out her lesson plans for the week and eventually got lost in them.

When she noticed that her coffee cup was empty, Bella looked at the time on her phone. It was already 9:45 a.m., and Edward hadn't shown up yet. Sighing, Bella felt the sadness and embarrassment start to creep in. When she picked up her phone to put it back in her purse, she noticed that there were a few news alerts. Opening them, she read about the fire at the edge of town that destroyed a small home.

Reading on, Bella saw that there were briefs stating that no one was injured and the fire fighters had contained and extinguished the blaze. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bella thought hard for a second. Maybe Edward had to go and fight that fire, and that's why he hadn't shown up. Bella bit her lip and started to wonder whether she was just making up excuses to make herself feel better.

The longer she sat there, the more she went back and forth in her head about what had just happened. Had she been intentionally stood-up? Was that Edward's team that had to fight the fire? Was that was he didn't show up? Maybe the fire was a fortunate coincidence, and he realized that he really didn't want to waste his time on someone so boring.

Bella could feel herself start to go crazy in thought, so she stood up and left the Starbucks. After a few deep breaths, she sat down in her car and steadied herself. When she got home, she wasn't surprised when the door across the hall flew open before she even had her key in the lock of her door.

Smiling to herself, Bella said, "Before you ask, I was stood up."

Twin gasps echoed behind her before Bella felt four arms wrap around her from behind.

"We're so sorry, Sweetie," Rose said.

"Come over to our place. We can make some hot chocolate. Rose will cheat and have a mug, and we can talk about it," Alice said, already starting to nudge Bella across the hall.

Following easily, Bella sighed. "I'll do anything for hot chocolate. Will it be made with milk or water?"

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Girl, if I'm going to cheat, I'm going to make it count. I'm not going to settle for some lame water-based hot chocolate. We're going all the way with whole milk."

"And marshmallows! The colorful kind," Alice said, closing the door behind them.

When each of them had a warm mug of rich hot chocolate, Bella leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes. "I think he got called to a fire, and that's why he didn't come."

"That's right!" Alice said. "I got those alerts on my phone too. There was a house that burned down at the edge of town this morning. They said it burned pretty long because there was so much old stuff in there that everything just went up in flames."

Rose nudged Bella's knee with hers and asked, "So what are you going to do? You obviously wanted to see him again, but you only have his name."

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I thought of one thing on the way back here, but I think it might sound little nuts."

Alice's laugh tinkled through the apartment. "Honey, where's the fun in life if you can't be a little nuts every now and then? Tell us what you thought, and we'll tell you how nuts it really is."

Looking her friends in the eyes, Bella said softly, "I thought maybe I could call the nearby fire stations to find out if there's an Edward Cullen and if he had to answer a call this morning. If I find him, maybe I'll send him a note? I don't know. Does that make me a stalker?"

Rose and Alice stayed quiet for a second. When their silence became too much, Bella's hand flew over her eyes. "Oh my god! See? I told you! It's nuts."

"No!" Alice said pulling her hand down. "I actually think it sounds like a great idea. I'm actually quite impressed. It's kind of daring for you."

Rose nodded in agreement. "I know. I was a little shocked that you'd be willing to do that. I think it's a neat gesture. It shows him that you're interested too without being too forward."

Bella ran her hand through her hair. "Geez, I don't even know where to start."

Alice jumped up and grabbed her iPad. Setting it in Bella's lap, she said, "Silly, that's what Google is for."

By the time Edward left the station, it was a little after noon. He headed straight to his parents' house, since had told his mom that he would watch the game with his father that day. When he got to the house, he walked in and found his mom in her office looking over color swatches. He kissed her on the head briefly before finding his dad in the den with the television already on.

Edward grabbed a beer from the mini fridge his dad had in the corner and sat down on the couch. He kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the coffee table.

Looking over at his son, Carlisle said, "Rough one, son?"

"Abandoned house fire at the ass crack of dawn," Edward said. Taking a sip of his beer, he said, "Damn stubborn one. Took a while for us to get all the embers out."

Reaching over, Carlisle clapped Edward on the shoulder. "I'm glad everyone is safe, and no one was hurt. I hate seeing any of you in my ER. How are things going for you otherwise?"

Edward ran his hand threw his hair and took another deep sip of his beer. "I met a girl the other day."

Carlisle knew his son, and purposely kept his eyes on the television in front of him. He tried his best to hide his smirk, and said, "And?"

"I met her at the supermarket, and we only talked briefly. I didn't want to be too forward, so I didn't ask her for her number. I just asked her to meet me for coffee this morning, but because of the fire, I missed it. No I can't call her back to explain or apologize for standing her up. I'm such a dick."

Carlisle chose his words carefully, and said, "Edward, you and I have jobs that require us to be up and ready in a split second. The world we live in won't wait for us, and it's not always fair that we have to sacrifice so much of our lives for the people that we serve. You tried to do what you thought was best all the way around, and it bit you in the ass. It sucks, but that's just the way that it is sometimes. We can't change it. We just have to accept it and hope for the best."

Edward ran his hand through his hair again, and this time, when he got to the ends, he tugged hard out of frustration. Growling a little, he said, "This fucking sucks. I finally met a girl that I was even remotely interested in spending time with, and I can't even tell her I'm sorry for leaving her sitting in a Starbucks alone for God knows how long."

It was at that moment that Esme came into the den with a bag of tortilla chips and a pan of Seven Layer Dip. Setting it in front of her men, she went to the fridge to grab a beer of her own. "I know that tone. Why are you pouting, Edward?"

After rehashing the story for his mother, Edward prepared himself for a tongue lashing. His mom had raised him to be a gentleman and treat girls right. Leaving one sitting alone without the ability to apologize was not going to sit well with Esme Cullen. Edward began to peel the label off of his beer, as he watched his mother process what he'd shared.

After a minute or two and a few sips of her beer, Esme reached forward for a chip. "Edward, did I ever tell you about how I was going to tell your dad that I was pregnant with you?"

Edward thought back to all of the stories his parents had told him and shook head. "I don't think so."

Esme chuckled, as Carlisle muttered a few choice cuss words under his breath.

"I need another beer for this," Carlisle said, standing up to get him and Edward each a new beer.

"When I found out that we were going to have you, I was so happy and excited. I had this whole romantic dinner planned. I made baby back ribs with glazed baby carrots, and I decorated the house with candles," Esme said. "Your father had said that he was going to be home at 7, and I had everything all ready. Seven came and went, and so did 8, 9. Eventually, it was past midnight, and he still wasn't home. I was so disappointed. It occurred to me that this was the life that I was bringing a child into, a life where we couldn't always depend on daddy to be there because other people needed him more."

Carlisle reached over and grabbed Esme's hand, as she continued. "I went to bed crying that night, and when I woke up the next morning, Carlisle still wasn't home. I cleaned up the house and threw away all the food. When he finally came home, he looked terrible. There had been a major accident on the freeway, and five people died, three of them were teenagers. Your dad had to tell three sets of parents that their children were never coming home again.

"That put everything into perspective for me. My being upset for not being able to do things my way was nothing compared to what he had to deal with that night. I still had my good news to share, and it wasn't fair of me to pout just because things didn't go how I wanted. I grew up a lot that day. I learned a lot about myself and what it really meant to be the wife of a doctor. I needed to be strong because he needed me to be a comfort for him, not a liability. He dealt with enough that he shouldn't have to come home to an angry wife that was in pieces. I had to be whole for him in every way."

Esme scooted over to Edward and put her hands on his cheeks. Looking into the eyes that that mirrored her own, she said softly, "Edward, you're a fire fighter. Your job is going to do to you what your dad's does to him. I don't regret anything in my life, and I know that I married the best man for me and this family. You need to find the woman that is going to value you as Edward the man and Edward the fire fighter. She can't have one without the other, and she has to love both the same. She has to be whole for you."

Edward took his mom's wrists in his hands and squeezed. Pressing a kiss to her fingers, he said, "Thanks, Mom."

Smiling, Esme turned back to the television and said, "So, who's winning? I bet your dad that the Cards would win by 14."

On Wednesday, when Edward walked into the station, he had mail on his bed. Odd, he thought, since he never had anything sent to the station. There was no return address, so he opened the envelope. Inside was a note on stationary with the letters "BS" on the top of the page. Feeling his heart skip a little, he read the pretty handwriting:

_Edward,_

_If you are indeed the victim of the unfortunate cereal aisle incident, then I got the right person. I'm sorry that we weren't able to have coffee this weekend, but I'm hoping that it was because there was a fire, and not because you changed your mind about me. If you want to try to meet up again, I'll meet you at the scene of the incident on Saturday at 10 a.m._

_B_

_P.S. I apologize if this sounds cryptic, but I have to protect myself just in case there happens to be two firefighters named Edward Cullen, and you're not the right one._

Throwing up his arms in victory, Edward jumped up and onto the bed, cheering loudly.

"Holy fuck! He's gone Tom Cruise!" Emmett said, as he peaked into the rack room to see what the commotion was about. "Jasper, get the camera. We're going viral, baby!"


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: For all that have been so patiently waiting for E&B to spend some quality time together..._

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 5_

Edward pulled into the lot of the supermarket at 9:45 a.m. He wanted to be sure this time that he wouldn't miss her. Getting out of his car, he ran his hand through his hair and walked into the store. When he went down the cereal aisle, he was surprised to see that she was already there with a cart full of boxes.

Bella was looking down at her list when she felt someone come up to her. She heard a low, sexy voice say, "Wow, you really like cereal."

Feeling her cheeks burn, Bella turned to see Edward's shining green eyes smiling back at her. Thanking all of her lucky stars that she'd gotten the right Edward, she said, "I was going to make my students Chex Mix for their afternoon snack this week. Chex is one of the better cereals because it's gluten and nut free, so it's safe for the kids with allergies."

Edward felt his smile widen. Softly, he said, "I'm so glad you're here, and that you're giving me a second chance. I'm so sorry about last week. I didn't get back to the station until just before 11. I would've called you the second I was out, but…"

Bella saw how sorry Edward was by the look of genuine concern in his eyes. Reaching forward, she put a hand on his arm and said, "Hey, I get it. I saw the alert about the fire on my phone, and I hoped that's what happened."

Edward took a deep breath and felt his smile return. Looking into Bella's eyes, he said, "Bella, you have a right to know up front that I'm a fire fighter, so my life is going to be like this. I won't always be able to keep a date, and I won't always be able to call right away or beforehand. As much as I'd like to say that Saturday was a onetime thing, I can't. If you don't want to deal with that, then I completely understand. We can walk away. No harm, no foul."

Bella looked down and took a deep breath, taking in his honesty. Looking back up and into his eyes, she said, "Edward, I know. I don't exactly know what it's like for fire fighters and their girlfriends or families, but I know what it's like for police. I'm a cop's daughter. Believe me when I say that I understand."

Nodding, Edward felt like a weight was lifting from his shoulders. Looking around, he said, "So, do you want to try to get coffee again? We can finish your shopping first if you want."

Laughing, Bella remembered about her cereal. She'd forgotten all about her cart and her ingredients. Gesturing to the cart, she said, "This is all I needed. I'm ready to check-out now. I was hoping to be done before you even got here so you wouldn't have to wait for me."

Edward shook his head and went to push the cart for her. "I can wait. Let me help you. It's the least I can do for making you wait for me on Saturday. You said these are for your students. That means you're a teacher?"

Walking next to Edward, Bella was drawn in by his clean, masculine scent. Focusing on their conversation, she said, "I'm a kindergarten teacher at Wilson Elementary down the road. I actually just started."

When they got to the register, Edward helped Bella put all of the boxes on the belt. "Were you a teacher somewhere else before that?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, last school year, I was a teacher in Jacksonville, Florida. I just moved out here a little more than a month ago. How long have you been a fire fighter?"

"About ten years now. I went to school and got my degree in fire science before I joined. It's not required, but I wanted to know what I was doing and have a better understanding of what was happening around me," Edward said. When Bella was all rung up, they headed out to the parking lot. Looking around, he asked, "There's actually a Starbucks on the other side of the parking lot. Do you want to just stay here?"

Bella nodded, and Edward followed her to her car to put the cereal away. When they walked up to a big, red Chevy truck, Edward felt his eyes widen. "Whoa, this is what you drive? Wow."

Running her hand lovingly down the fender, Bella smiled. "Yup, this is my baby. My dad got her for me, and I love her. I drove her all the way across the country because I couldn't stand to sell her when I left Jacksonville."

Once they got all the bags in the cab of Bella's truck, they headed over to the Starbucks.

"So, what made you move to Phoenix? Do you have family here?" Edward asked.

Feeling small butterflies in her stomach, Bella pushed them out and steadied herself. "The opposite, actually. My mom and her husband live in Jacksonville. I moved out here because I wanted to get a fresh start."

Edward nodded and sensed that there was something that Bella wasn't saying. Gently, he asked, "And what about your dad?"

Looking down at the pavement as she walked, Bella said softly, "My dad was killed in the line of duty about a year and a half ago. When my mom got remarried, I could see that she was moving on with her life, and I needed to do the same. I couldn't do that in Jacksonville. Everything I looked at reminded me of time with my dad. So I had to get out and start over with a clean slate."

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Edward squeezed and said, "I'm so sorry about your dad."

Bella shrugged and smiled at him. "Thank you. I miss him. Every day. Some days more than others. But I know that he died doing what he was called to do. My dad was born to be a cop, and he was the best that there was. I might be a little biased, but I know he was a good cop. As much as he wouldn't have wanted to leave my mom and I behind, I am certain that there's no other way he would've wanted to leave this Earth."

After they ordered their coffee, they took a seat at a small round table on the patio. Getting a sense that Bella was okay talking about her dad, he asked cautiously, "Do you mind my asking how he died?"

Bella looked down into her coffee and watched the steam rise from the cup. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It was a Saturday morning around 9 a.m. My dad was off that day, and he'd gone to the bank as part of his weekly errands. Because of the day and time, the bank was packed with people, and the line was really long. He got to talking to the woman in the front of him and found out that she was a mother of four. She was so excited because she was depositing her first paycheck. Her youngest was in school, and she could finally get a job and help contribute to their household. She told my dad that it was her dream to help her husband support their family and get them off of welfare.

When the robbers came in, things escalated really quickly. My dad wasn't in uniform, so they didn't target him. They just thought he was a civilian. So when the stand-off came, they chose the woman in front of him thinking that the cops outside would be more likely to give in to their demands if they had a woman as a hostage.

One of the guys grabbed the woman by the hair and started to drag her to the door. That's when the other guy noticed the sniper's dot on his chest. Then everything happened at once. My dad jumped up and shot the guy that was dragging the woman, and just before the sniper got his shot off, the other robber shot my dad square in the chest. If the sniper had shot a second earlier, my dad might still be alive.

That bothered me for the longest time, and I dealt with a lot of anger issues. But it always comes back to what my dad would've wanted. What would've made him happiest. Knowing that the woman was safe and that she went home to her four young kids that day made it all worth it.

When everything settled down, she came to visit my mom and I to tell us the full story of what happened inside the bank. She wanted to thank us and say sorry for what happened. Her kids even drew us pictures, saying thank you for saving their mom's life. Her youngest boy was five. I had my dad for 26 years. That's much more than that little boy would've had with his mom."

Edward reached forward and took hold of Bella's hand. Squeezing it, he said, "I give you a lot of credit for being able to talk about it and for how you've processed the whole thing. That's not an easy thing to do."

Bella laughed a little. "It wasn't easy. It took hours upon hours of therapy to get there, but I needed to get to a place where I wasn't mad anymore. My dad wouldn't have wanted that. So, now you know all about me. What about you?"

Edward stared at their joined hands and thought about what he could share with her that would be on par with what she'd shared with him. As he ran his thumb back and forth across the top of her hand, he said, "My mom's family was one of the first in Alaska to discover oil. My dad is one of the chief surgeons at Phoenix Memorial Hospital, and my mom has her own successful interior design company. I am the only male heir to all of it, and I've had a trust fund since I've had a social security number. But I haven't touched a cent.

I live in a studio apartment with a full size mattress and a futon. The most expensive thing I own is probably my flat screen television, and I drive a used Volvo that I bought from the old lady that lives across the hall in my building. Every year, I have to go to benefits and galas wearing a tuxedo to eat foie gras, truffles, and caviar, but my favorite meal is my mom's homemade chicken pot pie.

I've dated girls who wanted to be with me just for my looks, and when they find out about my family, they've faked pregnancies to get my money. The only friends I have are the fire fighters that work with me, and I haven't dated a girl in over two years."

Bella watched as Edward stared at their hands on the table. His head was down and his voice was soft. Without thinking, she reached forward to run the fingers of her free hand through his hair. "Why haven't you dated anyone in such a long time?"

"Because my last girlfriend hated my job. She hated that I was only around every other day. That meant I could only spend every other Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with her. If I got called to a fire, I wouldn't be able to call to let her know I was going to be late. If she had an important function at work, I couldn't always be there for her because the fire came first. It's a lot for someone to deal with," Edward said. As he was staring at Bella's hand, he noticed the small beauty spot on the underside of her wrist. Turning her hand over, he started to run his thumb over that new spot.

"How long were you together?"

"Almost three years. She tried to stick with it. She thought that maybe if she could deal with me being a fire fighter, that she would eventually get to live in the big white castle that existed only in her dreams. She said that if we were married, what's mine would've been hers. If I let her go shopping and have spa days, then she wouldn't be lonely and could deal better with my job."

Bella lifted her hand from Edward's grasp and lifted his chin with her finger. "I know for a fact that life with a public servant is difficult, and not everyone is cut out for it. You can't be selfish when someone in your life is a cop, a fire fighter, or a doctor. You marry that person, and you also marry that person's call to serve the community. That's just how it goes."

Edward smiled. "That's kind of what my mom told me the other day."

Taking a deep breath, Bella sat back in her chair, and said, "So, we've talked about nothing but heavy stuff this morning. How about some fun stuff. Want to play 20 questions?"

Edward laughed. He hadn't played that since college. "Sure. You can ask first."

Bella thought for a second. "Favorite holiday. Mine is Christmas because it makes everything feel like magic."

"Thankgiving because it combines the two things I love most – my mom's turkey and football." Edward smiled, and asked "Favorite fast food. Hands down, Burger King. Gotta love the charbroil on the burgers."

"I'm more of a Taco Bell kind of a girl. Favorite color. I love purple."

"I'm partial to blue. Do you have a favorite sport?"

Bella reached forward and smacked Edward on the shoulder. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't have a favorite sport! Figure skating."

Bella watched Edward try to control the look on his face. Laughing, she said, "I'm just kidding. I just wanted to see how you'd react. I love watching basketball. It's such an adrenaline rush to be at a game and feel the stadium vibrate with cheers."

Edward ran his hand through his hair and admitted, "Thank god, you don't love figure skating like that. I wasn't sure what to say. I love watching football, but playing basketball. Favorite candy. I could eat my weight in Rolos."

Bella just laughed. "I'm more of a York Peppermint Patty person. Morning person or night person? I'm a night person. I hate waking up in the morning."

"I used to be a night person, but I'm more of a morning person now because that's when I get off of work. Birthday. Mine is June 20."

"September 13. How old are you? I'm 28." Bella was amazed that she didn't know that. What if he was ancient but looked young? Oh my god, what if he was a child and she was a cougar? Wait, but he'd been a fire fighter for ten years. Maybe she didn't feel so bad.

"We just missed your birthday by a few weeks. Happy belated birthday. I'm 30. Favorite ice cream. I can't remember, but I know I like Baskin Robbins. It's one of the 31 flavors. That I'm sure."

Bella laughed. "What do you mean you don't remember? How can you not know your favorite? Mine is Cherries Jublilee from BK."

"I suck at remembering certain things, and oddly enough I tend to forget what my preferences are a lot of the time. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? I want to go to Rome and visit the Coliseum." The more Bella smiled, the more Edward noticed how pretty her eyes were when they sparkled.

"I would love to go to Paris to see the Eifel Tower and the Louvre." The longer Bella sat with Edward, the more comfortable she felt with him. She found herself leaning forward and turning her body more towards him. "What kind of music do you like? I like everything except for really hard core rap and screamer metal."

"My musical tastes are pretty eclectic. I like a lot of different artists, and when I have time I really like to go to concerts or see live musicians play. Can you play an instrument? I played the piano growing up, but I kind of stopped once I became a fire fighter. I just didn't have the time."

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm pretty musically challenged. I can lead the small songs for the kids in class, but that's about it. What's your favorite animal? I'm a dog person. I haven't had one since I was a really little kid, but one day I'd like to have one again."

"I've never had a pet, but I like dogs. I'm not too fond of cats. The retracting claws kind of freak me out," Edward said. "What's your favorite item of clothing? I have one tee shirt that I've had since high school. It's an old Beastie Boys concert shirt, and there's a hole in the arm pit. I refuse to get rid of it."

Bella laughed. "I have a UF sweatshirt that I just cannot part with. I've washed it so many times that it's pilling on the inside, but it's the most comfortable thing ever. What is your worst habit? Mine would be leaving my purse all over the house. I put it down in all kinds of random places."

Edward thought for a second and said, "It would probably be my inability to remember stupid stuff like what kind of laundry detergent I like, my favorite cereal or ice cream. Easy things. If you could have spend the day with a famous person, who would it be? I think I would want to spend the day with George Lucas. I would want to just get a glimpse inside of the man whose brain birthed _Star Wars_."

Nodding her head, Bella said, "So you're a sci-fi fan, huh? Nice. I would probably want to spend the day with Oprah. She's an amazing woman, and I'd love to see if she's really the same person when the cameras aren't on. Favorite alcoholic beverage? I make a pretty decent sangria that's perfect for hot, sunny days."

"I would love to try one of your sangrias someday, although admittedly, I am more of a beer kind of guy," Edward said. "Favorite cartoon? I'm an old school _Transformers_ cartoon addict. The movies are good, but I'd still rather have the cartoon."

"Hands down it has to be _Garfield and Friends_. Who can't love Shelbert? He's an egg with legs!" Bella said. She couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled so much during a conversation. The first question that popped into her head made her face flush, but she decided to just ask anyway. "Underwear preference? I'm a low-rise bikini cut kind of girl."

"What does that even mean?" Edward said. Giving Bella what his mom called his "dazzling smile", he said in a low voice, "I can't wait to find out. Firefighters have to go for the boxer briefs. Maximum protection for the goods with minimal chafing. Silk or cotton sheets? Sheets are very important to me, and I spent a fortune on my 800-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets."

Bella had to force herself to focus on the question at hand and not on the image of Edward in only his boxer briefs. "I like cotton sheets. I've never slept on silk sheets, but it just seems uncomfortable to me. I don' t know why. Favorite moment in time?"

Edward leaned forward more and said softly, "Not bull shitting. This one right now."

Bella smiled and said, "Me too."

* * *

_A/N: Have a great Memorial Day weekend!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thank you so much for all of your patience!_

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 6_

Edward sat down at the dining table in the small kitchen of the fire house and took out his cell phone. He and Bella had exchanged numbers the day before when they'd met for coffee, and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since he'd said goodbye.

**Good morning. Thank you again for yesterday. Hope you're having a good Sunday so far. – E**

Just as Edward pushed "send", Emmett and Jasper walked in to the dining room. Emmett went straight for the fridge and stuck his head in to see what kind of food was left from the crew the day before.

Noticing a box of cold pizza with the words "Free Food" written on the top, Emmett yelled, "Sweet! I love those guys."

Jasper shook his head and watched Emmett inhale the first slice of cold pepperoni pizza. "You must have some kind of iron stomach. You eat shit food at all hours."

Edward watched in awe as Emmett finished one slice in four bites. Shaking his head, he said, "Seriously. You're not as young as you used to be. Your old ass is going to suffer the consequences from all this abuse one of these days."

Emmett shoved another slice of pizza in his mouth and gave his friends the finger. With his mouth full, he said, "Fuck off. I'm barely a year older than you guys."

As Edward and Jasper laughed, Edward's phone buzzed. Picking it up quickly, he was happy to see a text from Bella.

**G'morning. Thank YOU for yesterday. I had fun. It's a lazy Sunday for me. The best kind!" – B**

Edward smiled and shot back his response.

**I haven't stopped thinking about you since yesterday. May I see you again? – E**

When Edward put his phone down to wait for Bella's response, he looked up to see Jasper and Emmett staring at him. Emmett had even stopped eating. With the pizza holding still in his hand, he swallowed and said, "Booboo, whatcha doin?"

Edward just stared at his friends, confused as to what they were staring at. Shrugging his shoulders, he shook his head and gave them a confused look.

"Dude, you never use your phone," Jasper said. "You don't play Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Not even fucking Sudoku or Words with Friends. You never text, and you never get or make phone calls. In fact, I think this might be the first time I've seen your phone in months."

Just as Edward was about to answer, his phone buzzed again. Reaching for it quickly, he read Bella's response.

**Can't stop thinking about you either. We're having Open House this week, so it's a busy one for me. When are you off this weekend? – B**

Edward smiled and quickly sent back his reply.

**I'm off on Friday and Sunday. Have I graduated from day-dates? I'd like to take you to dinner. ;) – E**

At this point, Emmett was just confused. He threw his pizza back in the box and crossed his arms and looked intently at Edward.

When Edward put his phone down, he looked at Emmett and Jasper and said, "I can have a life outside of this fire house. Not everything about me revolves around you dick heads."

Emmett laughed and leaned forward to rest his meaty forearms on the table. "Bull shit, Boo Boo. You work your shift and go home. That's all you do. It's rare that you come out with us, and the only other place I've known you to go is to your parents' house. What'd you do? Meet some chick?"

Edward crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. Looking Emmett dead in the eyes, he said, "Yeah, I did."

Jasper let out a loud guffaw, and said, "No shit?! Well, isn't that something."

Before Emmett could lay into him with questions, Edward's phone buzzed again. Shutting Emmett up by giving him the finger, Edward looked at Bella's reply.

**Sunday would be perfect. Looking forward to it. – B**

**Me too. I'll call you with the details later. – E**

Before Edward could put down his phone again, Emmett leapt out of his chair and tackled Edward to the floor. While Emmett was the more muscular of the two, Edward was leaner and had slightly longer arms than Emmett and could easily out maneuver the phone away from him. As the two continued to wrestle on the floor, Jasper just watched and laughed.

Within a couple of minutes, the rest of the guys heard the scuffles and walked into the kitchen.

"Whoa! What's going on?" Jacob asked. It was normal to see Emmett doing things like this, but it was a whole different deal to see Edward involved.

"What happened? What did Edward do?" Seth asked with wide eyes.

Garrett just laughed. "Does it matter? This is awesome!"

Peter came in and shook his head. "See what happens when all you young bucks run wild? You all need women! Get yourselves a beautiful, steady woman and settle the fuck down."

"Overrated," Garrett said with a shake of his head. "We'd be so damn bored if we all settled down. Look at this shit! This is the highlight of my weekend."

After a another minute, Edward wiggled out of Emmett's hold and pinned him to the ground. Giving Emmett's arm a tug behind his back, he said, "See?! This is why you shouldn't eat all that shit you old ass motherfucker. Your gut is slowing you down."

Emmett gasped and yanked his arm away. Jumping up, he pulled his shirt off and made a grand gesture towards his abs, "What gut?! Look at these abs of steel you skinny scarecrow. The women love them some Emmy eight-pack."

Jasper choked on a laugh and said, "Yeah, Em. That's an eight-pack in there all right. An eight-pack of hot dogs. An eight-pack of Slim Jims. An eight-pack of pork rinds. An eight-pack of Bud."

Emmett tilted his head to the left and forgot all about his abs. "Ooohhh. Slim Jims and pork rinds! Do you think we have any?"

As Emmett walked to the cabinets to look for his snacks, Peter just shook his head while the others dispersed now that the show was over. "Fucking hell. You'd think that boy was pregnant with all those cravings."

Edward just nodded as he tried to straighten out his shirt. "The power of suggestion is strong on that one."

Jasper turned to look at Edward. "You're such a fucking dork. Yoda? Did you use one of those on this chick you met? Pretty you are. Date with me you will go? Boom boom with me you will have?"

Edward just laughed. "Fuck off, Lady Killer. At least I know that the woman I'm seeing isn't buying condoms with her social security checks."

As Edward turned to walk out of the kitchen, Jasper pointed his finger at him and shouted, "Ageist motherfucker!"

* * *

On Monday, when Bella stopped by the office during recess, she was surprised to see a bouquet of flowers sitting on the reception counter with a card that had her name on it. Angela, the school receptionist, smiled at her and said, "Pretty flowers."

Bella blushed and grabbed the card. "Thank you."

Opening the card, she read:

_"When I think of you, I hear the John Mayer lyric, 'Lonely was the song I sang, til the day you came.' Sunday can't come soon enough. 'Thinking of you. – E"_

Bella felt her smile widen so far that her cheeks hurt. Pressing the card to her chest, she giggled softly to herself and took the mixture of lilies, violets, roses, and hydrangeas to her classroom. On the way back, she passed Alice whose eyes went big at the sight of the beautiful arrangement.

Alice pointed to Bella and said, "You, me, and Rose after school. We need details!"

Bella just nodded excitedly. When she got to her classroom, she put the flowers in the safe corner of her desk where she knew the kids wouldn't get to them. Pulling out her phone quickly, she sent Edward a text before the bell rang.

**THANK YOU SO MUCH! The flowers were gorgeous, you sweet man. – B**

The rest of Bella's day went by quickly. She had all of her kids working on different art projects to display around the room for Friday's Open House. She had been a part of numerous Open Houses at her old school back in Jacksonville, but this would be the first one in Phoenix. She wanted to make a good impression, not just on the parents, but on the other teachers as well.

Even though she considered Rose one of her closest friends, she also knew that Rose was her boss. Those two facts combined made it even more important to Bella that she make Rose proud of her decision to hire her to be part of the team at Wilson Elementary. Teaching was everything to Bella, and she wanted to make sure that she did right by her students, their parents, and her fellow teachers.

After Bella said goodbye to all of her kids, she did her usual clean-up routine. She scrubbed all of their desk tops, wiped down their chairs, swept and mopped the floors, and straightened up all the books and toys. When she sat down at her desk, she lost herself in the lesson plans for tomorrow. Before she knew it, it was four, and there was a knock at her door.

Looking up, Bella saw Rose and Alice peeking their heads in the doorway. Smiling, she waved them in and shut down her laptop.

Rose put a bottle of iced tea on the desk, and Alice set down a cookie.

"Don't look, Rose," Alice said. Winking at Bella, she added, "I managed to sweet talk old man Banner out of some leftover cookies from lunch."

Rose rolled her eyes and directed her attention to the flowers on Bella's desk. "So, I hear you have a story to tell us. I waited all afternoon for this."

Remembering that she had text Edward earlier that day, Bella gasped and pulled out her phone. She saw that she had 8 messages waiting for her in her box. One was from Edward, and seven were from her mother. Rolling her eyes, she saved her mother's texts for later and opened Edward's.

**I'm glad you like them. I didn't know what your favorite flower was, so I just told the woman at the store to help me guess. Did I get one right?" – E**

Bella's cheeks started to hurt again from the wide smile she was sporting. Texting him back quickly, she said,

**You did. Hydrangeas are my favorite, but the lilies, violets, and roses were beautiful too. You made this my favorite Monday ever. Thank you again! – B**

When Bella looked up, Rose had her brow quirked with an amused smile on her face, while Alice was smiling and bouncing in her chair. Taking a deep breath, Bella went on to tell them the story of her date with Edward on Saturday.

After hearing all about Bella's date, Alice clapped excitedly and said, "See! I told you crazy would be worth it! So, is he hot?"

Bella felt her blush spread all the way up to the tips of her ears. Looking down at the bottle cap that she was playing with in her hands, she nodded. "SO much hotter than the guy in _Water for Elephants_."

Now it was Rose's turn to clap. "Good for you! Have you gotten physical with him yet?"

Bella's eyes snapped up and her mouth dropped open. "No! Saturday was only the second time we'd ever seen each other. He's put his hand on mine and held it a little bit, but nothing beyond that. When we said goodbye, he just pushed my hair behind my ear and ran his finger down my cheek. It was sweet, and, oddly, intimate."

Alice nodded. "Getting physical really fast isn't all it's cracked up to be. If he wasn't all handsy with you, that's probably a good thing. It means that he wants to actually get to know you for you, and not just to get into your pants. Don't get me wrong, sex is fun, but love is so much better."

Rose sighed and said, "Yeah. I agree. It's been a while for me, so I do miss the sex. But now that I think about it, I think I'd rather have the companionship. There's something about knowing that someone's there even when they're not. You know what I mean?"

Alice and Bella just nodded. Smiling down at her bottle cap again, Bella said, "I think that's what I'm liking about this the most. 'Just knowing that he's there and he might just be mine one day."

Rose shook her head and laughed a little. Gesturing to the flowers, she said, "Honey, I think one day is closer than you think. If a man sends you flowers that pretty, he's in this with you. If all he wanted to do was kiss ass or make a nice gesture, he'd have sent you carnations or something cliché like a dozen red roses."

"Thought and originality say a lot about a guy, B." Alice looked longingly at the flowers. "You think Edward has any nice friends at the fire house? I miss nice guys who say sweet things."

Bella shrugged her shoulders. They'd never talked about his friends or hers for that matter. "Maybe if the date this weekend goes well we can have a picnic or something and he can bring his friends?"

Rose and Alice's faces burst with beaming smiles.

"We love you, Bella Swan!" they said together.


	7. Chapter 7

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 7_

On Wednesday night, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper found themselves in the Cullen den watching football with Carlisle and Esme. It was rare that Carlisle and Edward had the same night off, and whenever it happened they made it a point to spend it together. Growing up, Edward knew that his dad had an important job. He remembered hearing his dad leave for work at all hours of the night, and he could count on both hands how many holidays or birthdays his dad had missed because the hospital needed him.

Even though he knew that it wasn't normal for his dad to work all the time like that because all of his friends had dads that were around a lot, he was never bitter or angry about it. Esme had always told him that his dad was a doctor, and he fixed people. When people were sick or hurt, they needed his dad's help. Edward learned at an early age how to share his dad with those that needed him more.

Granted, there were times when Edward got angry with his dad. For a short while when Edward was just starting seventh grade, he didn't want to try out for any sports teams. When his parents asked him why, Edward said he wasn't sure if it mattered or not. His dad would rarely get to see him play, so what was the point. In that moment, Edward knew that he would remember the look of despair that crossed over his father's face. After a very honest, heart to heart talk, Edward promised his parents that he would try.

For the next six years, Edward played football and basketball. His dad had come to every game that he could, even if it meant leaving the hospital for a few hours just to watch his son play before returning for the rest of his shift.

When Edward decided to become a firefighter, he knew that it meant that he'd be creating the same life for his future family – a life where he would only be there half of the time. There would be birthdays and anniversaries that needed to be postponed, holidays celebrated without him, and one in a lifetime moments that he'd never be a part of. But he couldn't ignore the call that he had to be a firefighter for his community. He lived for moments like the one he'd had the week prior when he was able to return a kitten to a little girl.

As Edward's thoughts wandered further and further away from the football game, he thought about Bella and the relationship they were building. He had to admit that there was a big part of him that was worried. Even though Bella was a cop's daughter, she'd experienced the reality of life with a public servant more than anyone ever should. She'd lost the most important man in her life to the service. Even if she had found peace with it, did she really think she could get involved with another man who entered dangerous situations on a fairly regular basis?

Edward enjoyed spending time with Bella, and he found that he very much liked texting back and forth with her at various times throughout the day. She was fun to talk to, and he didn't feel like she had an ulterior motive in getting to know him. She was genuine and real, and it was refreshing to be around a woman who cared more about life and the people in it than make-up, fashion, and parties.

Even though he had been the one teasing Emmett about getting old, he realized that he wasn't as young as he liked to think. He was 30. By the time his parents were his age, they were married, had a mortgage, two car payments, and enrolling him in pre-school. When he was younger, Edward had always thought he'd be settling down by the time he was 30. Maybe it was youth and stupidity that made him think that he'd have found the girl to build his life by the time he hit 30.

When Edward felt his phone buzz in his pocket, he felt himself smile instantly. He knew it had to be Bella because everyone else that really mattered to him was in the same room. When Edward opened up his phone, he saw that he was correct. It was Bella.

**Are you allergic to anything? – B**

Edward thought for a second and couldn't remember. Turning to his mom, he asked, "Mom, am I allergic to anything?"

Esme gave her son a strange look and said, "No. Why?"

Instead of answering, Edward sent Bella his reply.

**My mom said I'm not allergic to anything. Why? – E**

In less than a minute, Bella's reply came back.

**Oh geez. You'll see. ) – B**

Edward put his phone back in his pocket and looked up to see Emmett and Jasper giving him their evil smiles. Before he could stop them, Emmett and Jasper turned to Esme and said, "Mama Esme, did Edward tell you about your soon to be daughter-in-law?"

"Whoa-" Edward started.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" Esme yelled.

Carlisle turned to Edward with his eyebrows raised. "Edward, tell me you didn't get someone pregnant."

"What?!" Edward looked at his dad in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"The last time we talked, you mentioned meeting someone, but you didn't say anything about even dating her. If she's going to be our daughter-in-law, then…" Carlisle let the sentence drag out and the implication set in.

"No one is pregnant. For fuck's sake!" Edward said. Ignoring his mother's admonishment for cussing, he continued, "I patched things up with the girl that I told you about, and we've been talking. That's it! Mom, I told you not to ever listen to anything that Emmett or Jasper say."

Narrowing her eyes at Emmett and Jasper, Esme said, "Well, you can kiss those leftover ribs goodbye boys. Those are going to stay here in my refrigerator now."

Jasper stuck out his bottom lip and gave Esme his best puppy dog eyes. "But Esme, those ribs are the cure for a lost man's disparaged soul. I never get home cooked meals anymore because my daddy got stationed in Germany. It would do this poor boy good to have some of your wonderful cooking in his house."

Edward rolled his eyes and scoffed in disgust. He couldn't believe the lengths that Jasper would go for food. Jasper was such a suck up, and it was slightly creepy to see Jasper attempt to use his charm on his mother.

Sighing, Esme relented. "All right, Jasper. You can take your ribs home. Poor boy."

Edward turned his head quickly to look at his mom. "Mom! I can't believe you fell for that!"

"Nothing he said was untrue, Edward. Poor boy doesn't have family in the area anymore. I'm not giving in to Emmett," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"But, Ma! Why not?" Emmett said with a pout.

"Emmett, your mother lives 10 minutes from her. If you want home cooked food, GO HOME!" Esme pointed in the general direction of Emmett's mother's house.

Emmett's pout grew. "I can't. There's no food in her house anymore. She signed up for Nutrisystem, so there's only that pre-portioned stuff. She's banned me from the house because the last time I was there I wanted to see if it was any good, so I ate some. It took 15 of those damn things to fill me up. No wonder people lose weight."

"You ate 15 of her meals?" Esme asked. A lot of the girls in her office and many of her clients had gone on meal programs like that, so she was familiar with how they worked. "That's 5 days' worth of her food, Emmett. I would've banned you from the house too!"

As they all got settled and back into the game, Esme threw some popcorn at Edward's head. When she saw that she had his attention, she said, "Don't think I forgot the germination of that conversation. If you start to get serious with this girl, I expect you to bring her over for dinner."

* * *

The next morning, when Edward arrived at the fire house, he went to drop his bag at his bunk. There, on his bed, was Emmett and Jasper. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Get off my bed!"

"Fuck you. We don't have cooties," Jasper said. "You have a present, and we want to know what it is."

Sure enough, right between Emmett and Jasper was a picnic basket. Grabbing the note that was top, Edward opened the envelope Jasper and Emmett placed their chins on his shoulders to read his note, but Edward was too excited to see what this was to care.

_Edward,_

_I didn't think it was manly to send you flowers, so I sent you food instead. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach anyway. ;) I made a bunch of cookies for the Open House we have at school on Friday, and I thought I'd share them with you. 'Hope you like them 'cause I sure like you. Didn't know I could be so cheesy, huh? _

_Is it Sunday yet?_

_B_

Edward laughed and pushed Jasper and Emmett off his shoulders.

"Booboo has a girlfriend!" Emmett squealed. "Who is B? What's B stand for? What's in the basket? Can I have some?"

Edward just gave Emmett the finger and opened the basket. Inside there were 5 gallon-sized Ziploc bags filled with cookies. He looked at the labels in her pretty handwriting and saw that she'd made peanut butter, chocolate chip, shortbread, oatmeal raisin, and cinnamon sugar cookies.

Jasper's jaw dropped a little as he took in the contents of the basket. "Shit, Dude. Does your girlfriend have any single friends? I want someone to leave me baskets of food."

Edward smacked Emmett's hand out of the basket and said, "I don't know if she's my girlfriend. We didn't talk about that yet. We're only going on our second date on Sunday. Even if she is my girlfriend, you know that girlfriends aren't just about having someone to feed you, right? You actually have to do nice things for them too."

"Hey," Jasper said. "I can be one sweet guy when I want to be. You don't know how I am with the ladies. You only see when I put my swag on to get some ass. Trust me. I'm not as much of a dick as you think I am. I just never found anyone that caught my interest."

Edward took out the bag of chocolate chip and handed a single cookie to Emmett. "This is all you get for right now."

Jasper held out his hand, and Edward put a cookie in his hand. Smiling, Jasper and Emmett walked towards their bunks.

Shouting over his shoulder, Jasper said, "We'll be back! We have four other types of cookies to try. We have to let B know which one is our favorite."

Rolling his eyes, Edward took out his phone.

**Thank you for the cookies! You didn't need to go through my stomach to get to my heart. You're doing that all on your own. Like you I do. – E**

* * *

Bella was thankful that she didn't have to supervise lunch this week. Taking out the sandwich she'd brought from home, she sat down at her desk and enjoyed the few moments of peace and quiet. Taking out her phone, she noticed that she had 9 text messages. One was from Edward and the others were from her mother.

Today she decided to save the best for last. Opening her mother's text messages, she read:

**Hi Honey! My BFF Linda & I are going to try Hot Yoga today. I'll LYK if I think you'll like it. – Mom**

**BTW have you tried the Zumba DVD I sent U? Isn't it so fun? Oh! Phil's calling. BRB. – Mom**

**Phil's been doing Hot Yoga with one of his teammates. He was worried that it wasn't very masculine, but the men's class focuses on tantric exercise. Sweetie, let me tell you ...OMG! Sorry, was that TMI? – Mom**

**How is school? I'm sure you're doing a great job. You were always such a wonderful teacher. – Mom**

**Linda's granddaughter goes to your old school. She said that the teacher that replaced you is great, but she's no you. I'm so proud of you, B. – Mom**

**I bumped into Mike Newton at the grocery store yesterday. He asked me how you were. I think he wanted to give you some TLC, but I told him you moved. – Mom**

**Have you met any nice boys in Phoenix? IMHO you should put yourself out there and find someone to keep you company. I worry about you all alone out there. – Mom**

**Well, Linda is here! ILY & WYWH. XOXO! – Mom**

Bella laughed. Her mother still sent off text messages as if they were e-mails. Renee Dwyer would never be technologically inclined, but that was okay. She was a unique creature, and she was happy that way.

Making a mental note to call her mother later, Bella opened the text from Edward. Smiling, she sent him back a text.

**For our date on Sunday I am waiting. A hint will I receive? Counting down the days I am. – B**


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you for all of your support! It's finally Sunday in ficland..._

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 8_

When Sunday arrived, Bella was a ball of excitement. She had waited all week to see Edward again. They had managed to talk on the phone a little bit late on Friday night after she'd finished her Open House, but since he had to report for work the next morning they cut their conversation short. She didn't want him to be tired on the job. His safety was more important to her, and she knew she would get to see him soon.

He'd slowly started to drop hints about where they'd be going on their date. Edward hadn't revealed the exact location or agenda. All he said was that they'd be outside and to wear jeans and bring a sweater.

When Edward pulled up to Bella's building at 6 p.m., he basically jumped out of the car and sprinted up the stairs to her apartment. It wasn't ten seconds after he knocked that she opened the door.

Smiling at each other, Edward sighed and said, "Hi."

Bella laughed. "Hi."

Edward said softly, "I don't have flowers, but can I…"

He reached forward slowly and pulled her into a hug. Just before his body bet hers, he turned his head to brush a light kiss over her cheek. When he felt her arms wrap around his waist, he relaxed a little. Edward rested his chin on Bella's hair and said, "I'm so glad it's finally Sunday."

Bella rest her cheek on Edward's solid chest. Inhaling the scent of his cologne, soap, and laundry detergent, she said softly, "Me too."

Pulling back reluctantly, Edward said, "Are you ready to go?"

Bella nodded and grabbed her sweater and purse. After she locked the door, she slowly reached out and grabbed Edward's hand. When he smiled at her and squeezed her hand, she followed him down the stairs and to the car. She was pleasantly surprised when he opened her door and shut it after her.

Once they were in the car, Bella turned to Edward and asked, "Now do I get to know where we're going?"

Edward reached over and took Bella's hand again. Resting their joined hands on the center console, he ran his thumb over the top of her hand. "Since I happened to have a picnic basket handy, I thought we'd go to the park."

Bella smiled. "I love picnics. Did you fill the picnic basket by yourself?"

Edward nodded. "Of course. I called the restaurant and ordered the food all by myself."

"Do you cook?" Bella asked.

"Do I cook? Yes. Do I cook well? No. I can make the essentials to survive. I make a pretty awesome grilled cheese sandwich. My eggs are decent, but my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are killer," Edward said.

"Really? And what makes your PBJs so killer? I happen to be an expert, you know. I am amongst the connoisseurs of PBJs all day," Bella said with mock seriousness.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to share the secrets of this epic masterpiece," Edward said.

Bella placed her free hand over her heart. "I promise to protect the secret of the mighty Edward PBJ."

Edward laughed. "My PBJs are made with Nutella and Marionberry Jam. I've never made these at the fire house. If anyone saw me using either I'd never hear the end of it."

"Oh my god that sounds so good! I love Nutella. When my family used to go camping, we'd make Nutella s'mores all the time," Bella said. "I don't get to try one of these for dinner tonight?"

"No, this is a date. I still have to work on impressing you, and I don't think PBJs would cut it," Edward said, squeezing Bella's hand.

Bella put her free hand on Edward's forearm. "I'm a simple girl, Edward. You don't need to do all kinds of fancy things to keep my interest or pique my curiosity. I like you, and I want to spend time with you."

Edward felt his heart warm a little. Smiling, he said, "I like you, and I want to spend time with you too. I think even the guys in the fire house want to spend time with you. Once everyone found out I had cookies, those bastards wouldn't leave me alone. It did turn out to be a good bartering tool though. I got them to do all the shit jobs that I don't usually like to do."

Bella laughed. "I'm glad I was able to help. What kind of stuff do you guys have to do every day if there isn't a fire? What don't you like to do?"

"Every day we have a set routine. We wash the trucks, check the hoses and equipment, clean the house. I'm a clean guy. I don't like mess, and I am actually kind of nitpicky when it comes to cleanliness. But I hate cleaning the bathroom at the house. A dozen guys sharing a group bathroom is just disgusting. It gets cleaned daily, but I don't like dealing with other dudes'…matters." Edward visibly shuddered at the last word, causing Bella to laugh.

"That sounds pretty disgusting. I have never had to share a bathroom before, and I can't imagine having to do it with a whole bunch of other people," Bella said. "Do you like living with all those guys every other day?"

Edward shrugged. "I never really thought of it as an option. I always wanted to be a firefighter, and living with the others was always a part of it. I had to get used to sleeping in the rack room. Emmett snores like a chainsaw cutting through petrified wood, and Jasper talks in his sleep sometimes. It's kind of nice to have people to hang out with all the time, but I do like having the ability to go home and have my own space."

Bella nodded and looked out the window at the passing skyline. "I've never had that. Growing up, it was always just me and my parents. My grandparents were already gone by the time I was born, and both of my parents were only children. I was always kind of a loner growing up because I was so shy, so I'm really glad that I found two really good friends here in Phoenix that live right next door and work at my school."

That made Edward laugh. "That reminds me. Emmett and Jasper asked if you had any single friends."

Bella giggled and said, "Rose and Alice asked the same thing. Maybe we can introduce everyone next weekend?"

"Okay, but I do have one condition," Edward said. Glancing at her, he continued, "I get one on one time with you sometime during the week."

Bella felt herself blush. Smiling, she said softly, "Deal. One on one time with you might be my favorite time."

Edward picked up Bella's hand and kissed it. "I know it's my favorite time."

Pulling into the parking lot, Edward chose a space close to the entrance. When they got out, Edward opened the trunk and pulled out a picnic basket, small cooler, and blanket. Holding the basket and cooler in one hand and the blanket under his arm, he took Bella's hand with his free one and walked into the park.

They chose a nice grassy area under a big tree and put the blanket down. Both Edward and Bella toed off their shoes and sat down across of each other. Edward pulled the picnic basket next to him and unloaded the contents. Between them, he placed pasta salad, chicken sandwiches, and grilled vegetable succotash.

Taking in the delicious looking food, Bella said, "Wow. This all looks so good."

Edward smirked and said, "Well, I may not be the best cook in the world, but I am a professional food orderer."

"Lucky me," Bella said, as Edward pulled out a thermos of iced tea.

Throughout lunch, they talked about everything from childhood memories to their favorite books and movies. The conversation never fell short, and it was always filled with easy laughter. When they finished their sandwiches and ate most of the salad and succotash, Edward opened the cooler.

"I always believed that the best part of any meal was dessert," he said pulling out a pint of Cherries Jubilee from Baskin Robbins.

Bella felt her jaw drop in surprise. "You remembered!"

"I know, right? I can remember everything about you, even if I can't remember stuff about myself." Edward opened the pint and took out two spoons. Handing Bella one, he said, "I just assumed that you'd be willing to share your ice cream with me. Who knows? This might be my favorite."

Bella took the spoon and laughed. "You're lucky I like you so much that I'm willing to share with you."

After Edward took a bite, he thought for a second, and said, "It's good, but it's not my favorite. Guess you're going to have to go on ice cream dates until we find the right one."

Bella nodded and said, "I think I can make the sacrifice."

When they finished the ice cream, both Bella and Edward were thoroughly full. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was turning from bright blue to a mixture of oranges and pinks. Edward put all of the containers back into the basket, and smoothed out the blanket.

Looking at Bella, he said softly, "It's still early. Do you want to stay out and watch the sunset with me?"

Bella nodded and looked up at the sky. "Want to try something with me?"

Edward nodded and watched Bella lie down on the blanket. When she patted the spot next to her, he lay down and was pleasantly surprised when she took his arm and brought it under her head.

With the nape of her neck on his bicep, Bella curled into Edward and put a hand on his stomach. Looking up at the sky, she said, "One of favorite things about kids is their imagination. It's so easy to get so lost in teaching them alphabets, numbers, and colors that we forget to teach them to exercise their creative muscles. I make it a point once a week to take 20 minutes and take the kids outside. We lie down on a huge blanket in the playground and look up at the clouds, and I ask them to tell me what they see."

Bella looked up at all the clouds and found one that she liked. Pointing so Edward could see, she said, "See that one right there? It looks like a cat playing with a ball of string."

Edward smiled and looked at the clouds. Pointing to another one, he said, "That one over there looks like Kirby."

Bella thought for a second as to why that name sounded familiar. "The pink Nintendo bubbly character?"

"That is so awesome that you know who Kirby is, but I have to correct you. Kirby was a ball, not a bubble."

Bella laughed and said, "Sorry. My mistake. A ball is so different than a bubble."

"It is! Bubbles are fragile. Kirby was a magic ball that had copy abilities. He could absorb the powers of anything that he absorbed," Edward said with mock seriousness.

Bella smiled and scooted herself a little closer to Edward. Wrapping her arm more tightly around him, she said, "I'm beginning to learn that you're kind of a dorky fireman, Edward. You text me in Yoda-speak and you're arguing with me about the integrity of a Nintendo character."

Edward propped himself up on the elbow that was opposite of Bella, so he could look down into her eyes. Smiling, he said, "A dorky fireman I am. Safe to be me with you I feel."

Bella felt herself smiling so big that it reached her eyes. Reaching up, she placed her hand on his cheek and ran her thumb across his cheekbone.

Edward shifted a little and slowly brought his face closer to Bella's. Looking in her eyes, he watched to see if there was any objection or nervousness on her part. Seeing nothing except anticipation and excitement, Edward relished in the feel of Bella's hand sliding back into his hair and resting on the back of his head.

Gently, Bella used the hand on the back of Edward's head to guide him down to her, letting him know that she was in this as much as he was. When his lips touched hers, Bella's eyes fluttered closed. She felt like she had a roller coaster in her stomach just swirling around and around. Flexing her fingers, Bella gripped Edward's hair a little tighter. There was so much about him that was big, strong, and hard. Yet his hair and his lips were so soft.

Edward felt like there were little electric shocks spreading from his lips throughout his whole body. As he felt Bella's fingers tighten in his hair, he let the tip of his tongue gently touch her bottom lip. She tasted like a mixture of ice cream and sweet Bella. After a few more moments, Edward pulled back and took a deep breath, inhaling Bella's intoxicating scent.

Resting his forehead on hers, he said softly, "Best first kiss ever."

"Ever," Bella agreed.

Reluctantly, Edward brought himself up to a sitting position. Taking Bella's hand, he brought her to sit across of him, knee to knee. Taking both of her hands in his, he looked in her eyes and said, "There's something about you, pretty Bella Swan, that just draws me in like a whirlpool that I just can't get of, and I don't want to."

Bella felt herself blush. Smiling, she said, "Edward, you make me feel like I'm a kid with my first crush. With you, I get butterflies and roller coasters in my stomach. I find myself thinking about you all the time, and I've never had that before."

Taking a deep breath, Edward said in a soft, low voice, "Bella, you know that I'm a fire fighter, and my life isn't easy. There's a lot that I can't change or control, and part of me feels like I have no right to ask you to share my life. It's not fair for you. God, Bella, I can't even promise to always be here for you. My job is risky, and I know of guys that have gone into fires without coming back out. You deserve more than that, especially because you've already your dad to the service."

Bella felt like everything inside her was shaking. Scooting forward even more, she pressed her knees to his and took her hands out of his grasp. Reaching forward, Bella took Edward's face between her palms and said, "Edward, let me decide what is fair for me and what I deserve. I know that being with you is a risk because you put yourself in danger voluntarily every other day. But would I rather live with the risk or live without you? I'd rather live with the risk. I believe you're worth the risk. Am I right?"

Edward felt all the tension he'd been holding in his body drain. Reaching up, he wrapped his hands around Bella's dainty wrists. "Damn right I am. I can't promise you a lot of things, Bella, but I can promise to always try for you."

Running her hands back into his hair, Bella said, "All I want is you, Edward. You're enough. Your life and who you are is enough."

With that, Edward leaned forward and closed the gap between them and sealed his promise to her with a kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: So sorry for the delay! Heinous week at work._

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 9_

When Edward came in on Monday morning, he was happy to see that he'd beat Emmett and Jasper. Noticing a small brown paper bag on his bed, he smiled. Picking up the card attached to the bag, he read:

_Edward,_

_I didn't want to go to sleep last night because I was afraid that if I did, I'd wake up and realize that our date was just a dream. It's so crazy that miss you already, and I was with you less than 12 hours ago. Here's a little something to start you day off right. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow I am. Missing you lots I will be._

_Your Bella_

_P.S. I woke up to this song on the radio, and it made me think of you…_

_"I want can't sleep can't breathe without your love  
Front porch and one more kiss  
It doesn't make sense to anybody else  
Who cares if you're all I think about  
I've searched the world and I know now  
It ain't bad if you ain't lost your mind_

Yeah I don't want easy  
I want crazy  
Are you with me baby  
Let's be crazy"

- _Hunter Hayes, "I Want Crazy"_

Edward put the note in his backpack and opened the brown paper bag to find a cinnamon sugar scone. Just as he was about to take his first bite, Emmett and Jasper walked in.

"Booboo! You brought breakfast!" Emmett dropped his bag on his bed and rushed over to Edward. Before he could take the scone out of Edward's hand, Edward snatched it away.

"Get your own damn food." Edward took a bite and relished in the sugary goodness.

Jasper walked over after throwing his bag on his bed and shook his head. "You know, Ed, selfishness isn't becoming. I know Esme taught you to share."

Edward just shrugged his shoulders and finished his scone. When he was done, he made a big show of dusting the crumbs off his hands and pants. Smirking, he got up from his bed and walked to the kitchen to find some coffee.

Emmett and Jasper shared a look and followed Edward to the kitchen. Jasper elbowed Emmett and said, "I smell something."

"Oh, shit, sorry," Emmett said. Fanning a hand behind him, he said, "I had a lot of broccoli and cauliflower for dinner last night. Makes me gassy."

Jasper scrunched up his nose and tried to take shallow breaths. "That's not what I meant, stupid. But, damn, dude! That's just foul. I meant I smell something fishy. Something's up with our dear Booboo."

"Right!" Emmett said, pointing at Jasper. Hopping up on the counter where Edward was putting some sugar in his coffee, Emmett looked at Edward and said, "So, Booboo, you down for Taco Tuesday tomorrow? I think we need a bro-date. You can tell us all about what's new with you."

Edward smiled and said, "Can't. I've got plans."

Jasper nodded, and said, "See? You never have plans. Something's going on. Tell us now."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Edward said, "Wow, Jasmine, I didn't know you were into gossip like that."

"Tell us when was the last time you had plans and had to bag out of Taco Tuesday?" Jasper said while he walked to the cupboard to get his own coffee cup.

Edward thought and couldn't remember the last time he'd declined a night out with the boys. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Good point."

"Aaaaaannnnnnddddd?" Emmett drew out. "Tell us or I'm just going to get more annoying."

Knowing that there was much truth in that statement, Edward took another sip of his coffee before saying, "I have a date."

Emmett's eyes lit up. "With Cookie?"

"Who's Cookie?" Edward asked.

"You know, B. The girl who made you all those cookies. If it's her, can you ask her to make those chocolate chip ones again? Those were pretty awesome," Emmett jumped off the counter and stuck his head in the refrigerator.

Just as Edward was about to tell Emmett exactly what he could so with his request for cookies, the alarm went off in the fire house alerting everyone that a call had come in. Immediately, Emmett pulled his head out of the refrigerator. Jasper and Edward put their cups down and all of the guys ran to get their suits on. While they were all getting dressed, the Captain came in and started giving them the details of the call.

"Gas explosion in a two-story home on West Monroe. An ambulance has been deployed. A neighbor called it in and is not sure whether the family was home. Proceed with caution and stay alert for any one who might have been in the house."

When the guys got to the house, it was completely engulfed in flames. The guys took their usual line-up with Emmett and Edward up front. On the way to the house, they'd been updated with the news that the family that lived in the house included a married couple in their mid-thirties with two toddlers and an infant. The wife had just given birth a month ago. The thought that there might be a newborn baby in the house made Edward sick with worry. As he and Emmett approached the burning doorway, he pushed the emotions aside and took a deep breath. As he inhaled the last bit of cool oxygen, he followed Emmett through the threshold of flames.

When Emmett and Edward determined that the stairs were safe to climb, they made their way upstairs. What they found in the first bedroom made Edward's heart trip and his stomach roll. Both toddlers looked like they were sleeping in their beds. After doing a quick check, they found that both kids didn't make it. Each man picked up a child and carried the tiny bodies out to the ambulance.

Shortly after they handed the kids over to the paramedics, Jasper and Peter walked out carrying what looked like the mother and infant child. Jacob and Seth made it out last, with Jacob carrying the husband. No one in the family had made it.

Even though every man's heart broke for the family, they knew that they had to contain the fire before it spread to the neighboring homes. Knowing that the house was now clear, they jumped on the hoses with Garrett and the two other trucks that had come to assist.

By the time the flames and embers were extinguished, the guys were exhausted. Everyone was physically beat, but mentally and emotionally, this had been a hard fire. Knowing that they'd lost an entire family that morning was tough. The ride back to the fire house was quiet. No one talked. They each just sat in silence, each processing in his own way.

After Edward showered, he sat on his bed and picked up his cell phone. The first call he made was to his mom. When Esme answered the phone, he heard her breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're okay," she said in more of a statement than a question.

"I'm okay," Edward confirmed. "The family didn't make it."

"I'm sorry, honey. I know it's hard to lose people. Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night? Talk to dad about it?"

Edward shook his head even though his mom couldn't see him. "I'm supposed to have dinner with Bella tomorrow night. Maybe I'll have lunch with Dad though. I'll call him to see if he can make the time."

"You know he will, Edward. You call him and let him know, and you ask Bella if she can come to dinner at the house next Sunday."

Edward smiled. Nothing got by Esme Cullen. "Yes, Mom. Love you."

"Love you. I'm glad you're okay."

After she hung up the phone, Edward called his dad. Carlisle must have been expecting Edward's call, since he picked up after the second ring.

"Son. You had the West Monroe fire?"

"Yeah." Edward felt like the endorphins were winding down, and the adrenaline was starting to fade away. Sliding down to lay on his bed, Edward stared up at the ceiling and said, "Dad, I had to carry that little girl's body out of the house. She was so small."

"Edward, I'm sorry. They're performing autopsies downstairs right now. It's looking like they might've been dead before the gas line exploded."

Edward threw his forearm over his eyes and took a deep breath. The implications of his dad's statement meant that one of the parents had hurt those kids. "Do you have time for lunch tomorrow? I can make it to the hospital around 11."

"Of course, Edward. Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Dad." After hanging up the phone with his Dad, Edward pressed the tips of his fingers to his eyes. The tragedy of that morning was weighing heavily on him, and he had the desperate need to hear Bella's voice.

Looking at the clock, Edward noticed that it was just after 2 in the afternoon. Taking the chance that school might be done for the day, Edward called Bella. She picked up after three rings.

"Edward. Are you okay? I heard about the fire."

Just hearing her voice on the other side of the phone warmed Edward's heart a little. "Physically, I'm okay. Just tired."

"I'm sorry the family didn't make it."

"Me too. I'm sorry I didn't get to thank you for the scone earlier. I was going to text you, but we got the call and had to run out of here."

"Edward, if you don't feel up to dinner tomorrow, I'll completely understand."

Edward closed his eyes and focused on the sound of her voice. "Bella, there's nowhere I'd rather be than with you. If I could be with you now, I would. After all this bad stuff, I have a need for something good, and that's you. Is that okay with you?"

"That's very okay. How about I make us some of my famous stew, and we can watch a movie?"

"That sounds perfect. Can I bring anything?"

"Nope. I'll have everything under control. You can just bring yourself and maybe a couple of hugs. I like hugs."

"That is an arrangement I can handle. I happen to have it on good authority that I am an excellent hugger. I can have my mother write me a letter of recommendation, if you'd like."

Bella laughed lightly. "No letter necessary. I trust you."

Edward smiled for the first time in hours. "I think I might even throw a few kisses in there too."

"Really? Well, now. My kisses aren't free, Edward. They're going to cost you some hugs because hugs and kisses always go together."

"Naturally," Edward said. "If I stop by at six, is that enough time for you? I can just hang out if the stew needs to…stew more. I just want to spend time with you."

"Six would be perfect," Bella said. When she heard her classroom door open, she saw two pretty heads of hair start to peak past the door frame. "Hey, before I forget, do you still want to go to the Fair on Friday?"

"Yeah. I think it would be fun. I'll ask the guys and let you know tomorrow when I see you." Edward saw Jasper raise a questioning eyebrow as he walked towards him.

"Okay. Well, get some rest. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too. Bye, Baby."

"Baby?!" Jasper asked. "This is serious, then, huh?"

Edward shrugged. "I really like her. Bella is…amazing."

Jasper nodded. "That's cool, man. I'm happy for you."

Edward looked at Jasper and said, "So you guys want to meet her and her friends?"

"Hell to the yeah! Double-date with Booboo and Cookie!" Emmett said as he walked in to join them.

"Technically, it would be a triple-date," Edward said. When Emmett just looked confused, he said, "Nevermind."

* * *

_A/N:_ _Please send your thoughts and prayers to the students, faculty, and community of Seattle Pacific University, my alma mater. _


	10. Chapter 10

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 10_

On Tuesday, Edward made sure to stop at the florist and the wine shop on the way to Bella's. He found a nice bottle of Napa Valley Cab to go with the stew, and he chose a happy looking bunch of gerber daisies. Since it was a casual evening at Bella's house, Edward dressed casually in a tee shirt and jeans. When he got to her door, he could smell the delicious scent of stew wafting into the hallway. Feeling his stomach growl softly, he knocked.

When Bella heard the knock on the door, her face immediately erupted in a bright smile. She set down the spoon she'd been using to stir the stew, and brushed her hands on her jeans. Running a quick hand through her hair, she walked to the door.

Edward knew that Bella was pretty. In fact, it was all he could think about sometimes. He knew there were guys who would say that she was gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, breathtaking, and stunning, and she was all of those things. But whenever he thought of Bella, it was always Pretty Bella with her pretty eyes, pretty lips, pretty hair, and pretty smile. He wasn't an overly eloquent guy, and he wasn't complicated. Edward was a simple man that found himself falling for the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

The door opened, and Edward felt his mouth water for a completely different reason than the stew. There was Bella in a plain black tank top with jeans that looked like they were painted on her legs. Her hair was loose and hanging down her back, and her feet were bare. Her pretty toes were painted a sparkly lavender today.

There were times when Bella thought of Edward, and she wondered how she'd managed to catch the attention of a guy like him. As she looked at him on the other side of the door, she found herself thinking those thoughts again. Edward's tee shirt hugged his shoulders and chest in all the right places, and his jeans hung low on his hips. His hair was a little crazy and untamed, but she thought that just added to his appeal.

Edward extended the hand that held the flowers to Bella and said, "Hi. If that stew tastes as good as it smells out here, you may never be rid of me."

Bella took the flowers and smiled. "Thank you. These are so happy. I love them. And who said I wanted to get rid of you? Come in."

Edward walked in to Bella's apartment and looked around. It was small, but it was nice. There wasn't anything fancy about it, but there were little Bella-touches that made the small space feel homey. She had pictures of her family and drawings from her students up on the walls, and there were big, soft looking pillows on the couch.

Setting the bottle of wine on the table, Edward said, "The guy at the wine store said that this would go well with a stew."

Bella took a vase out of her cupboard and filled it with water. "Thank you. I'm sure it'll be perfect."

Edward walked over to Bella as she stood at the sink arranging flowers, and put his hands on Bella's hips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder. "Hi."

Bella stopped arranging the flowers and closed her eyes. She put her hands on his and turned her head so she could press her forehead lightly into his cheek. "Hi. How are you?"

Edward tipped his head down and placed a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. "I'm good now. I had lunch with my dad. It always helps to talk to him after difficult fires like yesterday. He knows how to process the loss of someone from a professional standpoint."

Bella turned around in the circle of Edward's arms and brought her hands up to his face. "I read in the news that the family was gone before you even got there. You couldn't have done anything, but I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better."

Edward gave Bella a small smile and shook his head. "No, it doesn't. Knowing that people died is never easy. When it's a kid or, worse yet, a baby, it's harder still."

Bella nodded and slid her hands gently down his face and his neck to stop at his chest. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to make it better for you. Whenever my dad would have difficult cases at work, he would run or beat up on a punching bag. Is there anything you do?"

"Other than talk to my dad?" Edward shot Bella a guilty smile. "In the past I would get just drunk enough to avoid a hangover and watch reruns of _Family Guy_."

Bella laughed and said, "Hmmm, well, how about we start out with some stew and wine, and then we can consider _Family Guy_?"

Leaning forward, Edward closed the gap between his lips and hers. He couldn't wait any longer to kiss her. He loved her sound of her laugh, and she was just so pretty when the corners of her eyes wrinkled a little when her smile got big enough.

When she felt Edward's lips meet hers, Bella inhaled quickly to take in as much of his clean, masculine scent. She felt her eyes drift closed on their own, and her hands slid up his chest to wind themselves into his hair. Feeling the softness of his hair between her fingers, Bella gripped it lightly, only to feel Edward groan softly. It was quiet that she would've missed it if she didn't feel it against her lips. Knowing that she did that to him made her warm and tingly all over, and she wrapped herself even closer to him.

Feeling Bella pull closer made Edward feel more powerful than Superman, Iron Man, Batman, and Spiderman combined. At his first taste of Bella, Edward knew that he'd never have to eat or drink again. All he needed was Bella. She quenched his thirst and fed his hunger. The longer they spent kissing, the more Edward knew that he'd have to slow it down. He could feel himself getting lost in her, and it would be so easy to let himself go completely and forget about the consequences of moving too fast. Bella mattered, and he wanted to make sure that she knew that.

Pulling back slowly, Edward rest his forehead on Bella's and said softly, "As much as I want to keep doing that, we need to have dinner. My stomach is about to eat itself, and you matter more to me than just a quick tumble into bed."

Bella leaned forward and gave Edward a quick peck on the lips. "You mean more to me too. Now let's get you fed."

After they were both seated at the table with bowls full of stew and glasses filled with wine, the conversation flowed smoothly from topic to topic. It never failed to amaze Edward how easy it was to talk to Bella. She always had something to say and seemed genuinely interested to learn more about Edward the man, instead of Edward the Platt heir.

Over dinner, Bella learned that Edward wasn't like a lot of the guys that she'd known in Jacksonville. Edward wasn't embarrassed to be a mama's boy, and he considered his dad to be one of his closest friends and heroes. Even though the he drank after difficult fires, he didn't get drunk on a regular basis, and he never went out to clubs. While he liked music, he hated hard core rap and thought electric dance music was kind of annoying.

The more Edward learned about Bella, the more drawn in by her he felt. He loved hearing the passion in her voice when she talked about her students, and he thought her stories of the horrors of paper mache were hilarious. He was glad to hear that Bella's mom had found a man to love after Bella's father had passed away, but he had to admit to being a little frightened of Renee's more zany qualities. Bella's stepfather Phil sounded like a standup guy who knew he had big shoes to fill but did his damnedest anyway.

When their bowls were cleaned, Edward helped Bella clean up the kitchen. While he washed, she wiped and put away. Before heading to the couch to pick a movie, Bella grabbed Edward's hand and steered him towards the freezer.

"We have one choice to make before we select a movie." Bella opened the freezer door, and there in the shelves were six different pints of Baskin Robbins ice cream. "I got a selection in hopes that one might be your favorite. I thought we could try one every time you came over until we got it right."

Edward looked at the ice cream and turned to Bella. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist. Pulling her forward, he gave Bella a sound kiss on the lips. "You're perfect, you know that?"

Bella just laughed. "I'm not perfect. I just love ice cream. Which one sounds like a winner?"

After perusing his choices, Edward said, "Jamoca Almond Fudge."

Grabbing the pint, Bella shut the door and took two spoons out of the drawer. When they were settled on the couch, Bella handed Edward a spoon and the pint. When he took his first bite, she asked, "Do we have a winner?"

"Nope," Edward said as he shook his head. "It's good, but I think I'd love it more if it was my favorite."

"Well, I guess we'll have to keep trying then," Bella said. Picking up the remote, she handed it to him and said, "What would you like to watch? I don't have any DVDs, but I have NetFlix and RedBox on here."

While they were flipping through the thousands of different selections, Edward said, "Before I forget, my mom asked if you would come to dinner next Sunday night. She wants to meet you."

Bella bit her lip, feeling a little nervous. "Okay. Let me know if I can make anything to bring over."

Sensing Bella's nerves, Edward turned his body towards Bella. "Hey. Don't be nervous. I'll make her be nice."

Bella slapped Edward's knee and nudged him. Laughing, she said, "I don't want you to make her be nice to me. I want her to like me on her own."

Edward laughed and see the empty ice cream container down. He took Bella's spoon and set it with his inside the container on the coffee table. Reach over, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his body. Still chuckling, he said, "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. I'll tell my mom to leave the hard ass at work."

"Edward!" Bella laughed. "I want your mom to be herself. I just want her to like me without you telling her what to do. We'll be fine. I'm just nervous."

Pulling back, Edward ran the tips of his fingers down Bella's cheek. "Pretty Bella. My mom will like you. I know she will. In fact, that's what I'm afraid of."

Laughing more, Bella asked, "Why does that scare you?"

Edward pouted a little. "Because. My mom is bossy. She's going to want to make sure I'm treating you nicely, and she's going to scold me if she thinks I'm not being a gentleman enough. Whatever happens, do whatever you want to do, not what you think she wants you to do. Don't let her boss you around. Esme Cullen doesn't always have to get her way."

Bella thought pouting Edward was adorable. Scooting closer, Bella angled her body, so she could tuck herself into the crook of his arm. Nuzzling in, she said, "Silly, Edward. Now, what are we going to watch?"

* * *

On Friday morning, Bella arrived at school to see her classroom door was open. Hearing Alice's laughter, she knew not to be alarmed. When she walked in the door, she found Rose sitting behind her desk, and Alice on the row of cubbies next to her desk.

"My, my. To what do I owe the pleasure of such an early visit?" Bella asked. She set her stuff down next to her desk and waved at Rose to stay seated. Bella took a seat in one of the kid's desks and said, "I'm fine here. Nice change of perspective."

Alice handed Bella a coffee and a small brown paper bag. "Rose sprung for scones. Blueberry cream cheese."

Opening the bag, Bella inhaled the sweet scent. "Caffeine and carbs? Does this have something to do with the Fair, or more importantly, the two hot fire fighters I have waiting to meet you?"

Rose sat up a little further in Bella's desk. "Are they hot? Do you know what they look like?"

Bella took a sip of her coffee and said, "I don't know what they look like. I didn't get a picture. I just know that their names are Emmett and Jasper. The guys are going to meet us at the entrance at 6 p.m. tonight."

Alice sighed heavily. "Bella! Is that all we have to work with? What kind of reconnaissance is that?!"

Rolling her eyes, Bella said, "It's not really a blind date if you know what they look like."

"So literal!" Rose groaned, as Bella laughed. "And I bought you carbs! You better watch it before I put you on Lunch duty for a month."

Bella popped a piece of the scone in her mouth and said, "So, what do I get if he's not and charming?"

Rose thought about it for a second before saying, "Alice gets your share of Lunch and Recess duty for a month."

"Hey!" Alice said. "That's not fair. Why do I have to do it?"

"Because," Rose said, "You can consider it payment if your date is hot and charming too."

Alice thought about it before shrugging and nodding. "I guess. Do you really not know anything about them?"

Bella kept chewing and shook her head. "Nothing. Edward and I have better things to talk about than setting you guys up dates."

Rose leaned further forward on her forearms and whispered loudly, "Like phone sex?"

"No!" Bella felt her cheeks burning with blush, even the tips of her ears felt like they were on fire. "We haven't gotten that far yet. Sheesh! We're just getting to know each other better."

Alice looked at the clock and hopped off the cubbies. "We're going to have to work on getting you more comfortable with the funness that can happen between men and women. In the meantime, we have to get this day started so it can be done. I have a date!"

* * *

Edward was in the exercise room doing bicep curls when Emmett and Jasper walked in quickly.

"We were looking for you!" Emmett said, sitting down on the bench next to Edward. He picked up the 60-pound dumbbells and started doing curls without a thought.

Jasper sat down at the weight machine and started doing flys as if it was automatic. "Yeah, you need to tell us about Cookie's lovely lady friends."

Edward finished his rep and set the weights down. "I did. I told you their names were Rosalie and Alice."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Is that all you know about them?"

Edward shrugged and picked the weights back up to start his next set. "Yeah. What else am I supposed to know? We're meeting them at 6 p.m. tonight at the entrance to the fair. That's all the important information."

Emmett dropped the weights down when he finished his rep. "Dude, how am I supposed to turn the charm on when I don't know anything about the chick? I can't prepare myself properly on so little information."

When he was finished with his last rep of curls, Edward brought the weights to his chest and reclined to the bench. Bringing the weights above his head, he started on his new set. "All you need to know is not to fuck up tonight."

"Well, can you at least tell us if they're hot? How old are they?" Jasper asked.

Edward rolled his eyes and took a break between sets. "I don't care if they're hot or not, and all you need to know is that you don't have to buy a Senior admission to the Fair tonight. So you can calm the fuck down, Rico Suave."

"You can say all the shit you want about older women, Edward, but that just means you don't appreciate them. Women are like a fine wine, son. They just get better with age," Jasper said.

"And you call me an ageist motherfucker. You discriminate against women your own age!" Edward said.

Emmett nodded. "Seriously, Butch. You need to give credit where credit is due, and you have to say that there's something about the enthusiasm and energy that the young ones possess. Plus, a lot of them take yoga now. Being bendy is a pretty awesome quality to have."

Edward put the weights down and ran a hand through his hair. "Bella's going to fucking kill me."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for reading and sharing what you think!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 11_

On Friday night, Edward stood outside the entrance of the Fair with Emmett and Jasper. He quietly scanned the crowd for his pretty Bella while his friends participated in a heated debate over the best Fair food.

"Come on! You're seriously telling me that a churro is better than a deep fried Twinkie?!" Emmett said with his hands on his hips. "That's just ridiculous."

Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "No, you thinking that artery clogging, sacrilegious abomination of a snack food is better than the classic churro is ridiculous. Every Fair since the beginning of time has had churros. It's tradition!"

Emmett growled at Jasper and turned to Edward. "Booboo, you have to be the tie breaker. Pick one."

Edward rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm actually more of a Kettle Corn kind of a guy. I was never into churros, and deep fried Twinkies are just disgusting."

"Okay, which part of 'pick one' did you not understand?" Emmett said, as Edward ignored him and jogged off toward three very pretty ladies. Nudging Jasper, Emmett said, "Whoa. Do you see what I see? Or am I having a low blood sugar hallucination again?"

"Nuh uh," Jasper said shaking his head as he watched Edward plant a kiss on the pretty brunette with the long hair. "That's Cookie?! Goddamnit that boy finally did something right."

Slowly, Emmett and Jasper started walking towards Edward and the trio of ladies. When they reached the group, both ladies had just been introduced to Edward.

Rose wasn't shy about the once over that she gave Edward. Nodding her head in approval, she said, "Good job, Bella. Not bad for a newbie."

Edward felt the tips of his ears burn bright red as he shook Rose's hand. Turning to shake Alice's hand, he watched her giggle. When she shook his hand, he was surprised at the tight grip that came from such a petite girl.

Like Rose, Alice wasn't shy in her appraisal of Edward either. "So, you're the hot piece of man meat that came in and out of the building earlier this week. Old Lady Johnson was asking if a fine gentleman caller was visiting one of us, and I had to say no. And lookie how it turns out it was you coming to see Bella."

Emmett had never been a shy or subtle guy and had no hesitation throwing his big arm over Rose's shoulders. Looking down at her, he wiggled his eyebrows and said, "I'm Emmett, and I'll be the fine gentleman caller that'll be visiting you from now on."

Rose put her hand on Emmett's side and pushed him back a little. She didn't want to seem too easy, and it was a good excuse for her to feel him up. A girl had a right to know if her date was really as solid as he looked, or if he was just a fluffy marshmallow. "You only hope to be so lucky. I'm Rose, so step back a bit."

Alice let her eyes rake up and down Jasper's long, lanky frame all the way from the top of his curly blond head down his muscular thighs. "I'm Alice. You are?"

"I'm Jasper," he said, extending his hand.

After shaking his hand, Alice said, "You look a little familiar. Did you go to Lincoln High?"

Jasper nodded and tried to remember if he had gone to school with her. "Yeah, class of 2001. You?"

Alice just nodded and said, "2003."

The laughter that Rose had been trying to hide eventually choked her, and she ended up coughing and laughing at the same time. "God, Alice. I thought you were trying to break that habit!"

Bella looked between her two friends and asked, "What habit?"

Rose cleared her throat and rolled her eyes, ignoring the glare that Alice was throwing her. "That is a classic Alice pick-up line. She's trying to find out how old he is."

At that, Emmett and Edward started laughing. Emmett slapped Jasper on the back and said, "Ha! This must be a first for you huh, dude? Going on a date with a younger woman."

Noticing the confused look on Bella's face, Edward explained, "Jasper only dates AARP members."

"Alice only dates recent Eagle scout graduates," Rose laughed.

"Well, she is a cougar, J," Edward said. "Just not for you. You're finally too old for someone!"

Alice just rolled her eyes. Walking towards the entrance, she said, "Well, it looks like there's a lot of eye candy in there. Let's go!"

Not one to be one upped, Jasper walked strategically behind Alice, and said, "Hmmm, for a young one, you do have a nice jiggle in your hips and ass."

Alice's jaw dropped. Stopping, she turned around and flipped Jasper off. "Better than the beer gut you're sporting."

Jasper looked down at his flat abs. "What beer gut? Those young eyes need to get checked, Sweet Thing!"

Bella followed slowly and watched as Emmett kept trying to put his arm around Rose, only to have her bat him off and push him away, each time, her hand grazing a different part of his body. Looking up at Edward, she said, "This is going to be an interesting night, huh?"

Edward laughed and threw his arm around Bella's shoulders. "Yup. Let's get some Kettle Corn and watch the show. This might be the best Fair yet!"

"I love Kettle Corn!" Bella said, wrapping her arm around Edward's waist and hooking her thumb through his belt loop.

When they reached the tent that had all the games, Emmett turned to Rose and said, "Rosie, what kind of stuffed animal do you want? I'll win you one."

Rose raised her eyebrow and looked around at all the different games and prizes. Noticing the cute brown bears at the balloon game, she pointed and said, "I want a bear."

Emmett winked and stepped closer to her, "Didn't you hear? They call me Yogi. You can just have this bear."

Extending her hand, Rose reached forward and rubbed Emmett's stomach. "You need to lay off those picnic baskets, Yogi. Now win me one of those bears."

Walking up behind Alice, Jasper leaned down to whisper in her ear, "So, Sweet Thing, have you set your sights on some young, nubile boy to entertain you for the evening?"

Turning around quickly, Alice looked directly in Jasper's eyes, and ran her hands down the front of her body. Watching Jasper's eyes follow her hands, she brought her hands back up her body and made a show of adjusting her bra and pushing up her breasts. "Nope, but the night is still young. Just the way I like 'em."

Edward tipped the bag of Kettle Corn to Bella and said, "Your friends are awesome."

Emmett bought five darts for $10 and looked at the balloons. All he needed to do was pop three, and the bear would be his. How hard could it be? Narrowing his eyes, he threw the first dart and watched as it got stuck in the board between the balloons. Pursing his lips, he threw the second one and watched it bounce off the balloon. Taking a deep breath, he threw the next dart and watched it knock directly into the first dart he threw. Muttering under his breath, he threw the fourth and fifth darts only to see them bounce onto the balloons and onto the floor.

By this time, Jasper was leaning on the side of the booth laughing. "Dude, what the hell? That was terrible."

Glaring at his friend, Emmett held $10 out and got five more darts. Handing them to Jasper, he said, "This damn thing is rigged. Let's see you do it, Butch."

Grabbing the darts, Jasper looked at the balloons and threw the darts. Popping four out of five balloons, he took the bear that was given to him and grinned smugly at Emmett. Holding the bear out to Alice, he said, "Here you go, Sweet Thing. You can use this as bait."

Looking at the bear, Alice said, "Aw, aren't you sweet, but I think I like that tiger over there better. I'll just go get one for myself."

The group followed Alice to the game giving out the tigers. She handed over $5 and got five rings. Thankful that she'd chosen the right shorts for this game, she leaned as far as she could over the railing, bending her hips just enough to give Jasper a good look at her ass. Tossing the rings, gently, she managed to get all five over the bottle tops in the same box. Standing up, she clapped and jumped up and down, effectively putting her breasts back on show. She might be small, but God gave her curves in all the right places for just the right uses.

Edward noticed that the basketball game was giving out Dalmatians dressed in yellow fire uniforms. Smiling, he grabbed Bella's hand and led her to the game. For $5 he got three balls. Lining up his shots, he sank all three and proudly handed Bella the dog.

Bella took the dog and hugged it to her chest. Smirking at Edward over the top of the dog's head, she said softly, "I've always wanted a fire fighter to cuddle up with in bed."

Edward felt his breath catch in his throat, and he choked a little. That was the most forward thing that Bella had ever said to him. Reaching seeing her start to sneak away as she laughed at him, he snaked his arm out and caught her by the waist. Pulling her quickly towards him, he leaned down and nipped her earlobe between his teeth. Putting his lips to the shell of her ear, he said softly, "Baby, you just say the word, and this fire fighter will be in your bed before you can finish the word 'please.'"

Turning her head, Bella looked Edward in the eye and said smirked. "Good to know."

Emmett was starting to feel a little dejected and emasculated. Looking around, he saw the one game he knew for sure he could win. Grabbing Rose's hand, he said, "Look, there's a big snake. How about one of those?"

Rose followed and said, "Yogi, it's not the size of the snake that matters. It's how you use it."

Before handing his cash over, Emmett turned towards Rose and said, "Trust me, baby. I've got the size and the skills."

When he had the mallet in his hands, Emmett got a good grip and hoisted it over his head to bring it back down hard on the scale. He watched with great satisfaction as the little metal piece flew up and rang the bell with a loud ding.

"Finally!" Emmett said. Taking the snake, he wound it over Rose's shoulders. "Told you. Size and skills."

Just as the group was about to walk to the next thing, the guys heard a familiar laugh behind them. Turning around, they saw Peter with his wife Charlotte.

"Look what we have here! Edward, is this the lovely lady that's been putting a smile on your face?" Peter said.

Edward smiled and tightened the arm that he had around Bella's waist in pride. "It is. This is Bella Swan. Bella, this is Peter and his wife Charlotte. Peter's on the same truck with us."

Bella extended her hand to Peter and Charlotte. "It's nice to meet you both."

Peter looked at Emmett and Jasper, and saw some interesting looks pass across the guys faces. Smirking, he said, "And are these two hooligans behaving themselves?"

Emmett threw his arm around Rose's shoulders and jerked her into him. "Of course! I always behave. Petey, this is my girlfriend, Rosalie."

Rose's head turned quickly to Emmett. "Girlfriend?!"

Emmett looked down at Rose and kissed her quickly on her nose. "Don't fight it, Rosie. You know you want me. It's okay."

Peter just laughed and turned to Jasper who shrugged and pointed with his thumb to Alice. "This is Alice. You'll see her on the next episode of _To Catch a Predator_."

Alice extended her hand and said sweetly, "It's nice to meet you. Jasper was just telling me about how his lovely lady friends use their Medicare to get him Viagra refills."

Peter and Charlotte shrugged their shoulders at Edward and Bella and waved, as they walked towards the Ferris Wheel. When they were gone, Jasper rounded on Alice and said, "Look, young lady, I don't know what your problem is-"

"My problem?! I don't have a problem. You're the one who's been-"

"I haven't been anything but cordial. Just because I'm not some little boy that you can just boss around, that doesn't mean-"

"Oh, but you like it when women boss you around, don't you, Jasper? That's why you date such mature women, isn't it? They can direct you in bed because you don't know what else to do," Alice said with her hands on her hips.

"Don't talk about stuff you don't understand, Sweet Thing. How long can your boy toys even last? They probably go off like bottle rockets. How's your supply of cock rings?" Jasper said with his arms crossed over his chest.

"At least my boys can get it up over and over. What's your recovery time like? It's a good thing your lady friends fall asleep after sex. You can probably only manage once a night," Alice said.

"That's it!" Jasper reached forward and threw Alice over his shoulder. Without looking back, he stomped out of the Fair and to his car.

Bella looked at Rose, and asked, "What happened?"

Rose just laughed. "That, Bella, was foreplay."

Emmett threw his arm around Rose's shoulder again and said, "So, is this foreplay?"

Rose rolled her eyes, and said, "You wish."

The four remaining walked towards the food booths in search of more snacks. Emmett watched in awe as Rose bought a deep fried Twinkie. He'd never known a woman to indulge on a first date, especially women who looked like Rose.

Rose knew Emmett's eyes were on her. She could tell that the Twinkie was only warm in temperature, so it wouldn't burn her mouth. Making sure that she had his eyes, she opened her mouth, and deep throated the Twinkie. When she swallowed, she dabbed the side of her mouth with the napkin and said in her low, raspy voice, "Gotta love the cream."

Emmett blinked a couple times, and finally found his brain. "Marry me!"

Rose just turned and walked away towards the rides with Emmett following her like a little puppy.

Edward laughed as he watched Rose lead Emmett to the Fun House. He didn't even want to know what kind of deviant fun they were going to have in there. Taking Bella's hand, he steered her to the Ferris Wheel. When they were seated in one of the gondolas, he put his arm over her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck.

Bella closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the feel of Edward's lips traveling from just below her ear to the nape of her neck.

Edward brought his face back up to Bella's and pressed his lips firmly to hers. Pulling back a little, he ran his finger under her chin and said softly, "Hi."

Smiling, Bella ran her fingers through Edward's hair. "Hi."

"As much entertainment as they've brought to our evening, I'm happy to just be with you up here," Edward said.

Bella bit her bottom lip and nodded. Tightening her grip on the hand she had in his hair, she brought his lips back to hers.

Edward shifted his body, so he was turned more towards her. Running one hand from her knee to her hip and back to her knee, he picked up her leg and draped it over his. When he had both of her legs over his, he settled his hand on her hip and squeezed. As he continued to enjoy the way Bella's pretty mouth fit with his, he let his hand wander up a little until the tips of his fingers were able to graze the soft skin above her jeans.

One of Bella's hands never left Edward's hair, but the other found itself around his waist. Sliding it up a little, she wound her hand under his shirt and let her hand glide over the smooth, taut muscles of his back. This time, it was Bella's turn to moan softly.

When Edward felt Bella moan against his lips, he forced himself to pull back and rest his forehead on hers. "The ride's slowing down just in time. Any longer, and I would've been trying to round second on a Ferris Wheel."

Bella laughed and gave Edward a quick peck on the lips. "Well, maybe we can make sure that Emmett and Rose haven't gotten arrested, and you can take me home. We can round second base on my couch instead."

Just as the Ferris wheel was stopping, Edward said, "You are so fucking perfect."


	12. Chapter 12

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 12_

At eight the next morning, Bella stood in her kitchen in front of the open refrigerator waiting for inspiration to strike on what she should make for breakfast. She estimated that she'd probably consumed her weight in Kettle Corn the night prior, so it she should probably be good and eat some fruit and yogurt. But, the eggs and cheese were just staring at her.

As Bella continued to argue with herself about breakfast, she heard her front door unlock. Knowing that it was just Rose and Alice, she called out a greeting and continued to stare at the apples, hoping that the longer she stared the more satisfying they'd become.

"Thank god you gave us that key the other day," Rose said, as she plopped herself down at the stool on Bella's small kitchen counter. "It's so much more convenient."

Alice plopped herself down next to Rose and said, "The smell of coffee came calling to me from across the hall. We came in hopes that you'd share with us."

Bella turned and looked at Alice over her shoulder. She had smudged eyeliner on her face and her hair was a bees next on her head. Laughing, she said, "I have coffee if you have details. You look like you had a fun time after you left us last night."

Rose just snickered as Alice put her forehead down on the cold counter top. She listened to Bella brew another K-cup of coffee and said, "I am forced to admit that there is some merit to having sex with an older guy. They do know what they're doing between the sheets."

"So, you don't think Jasper's expertise in bed has anything to do with all the older, more experienced women he's been with?" Rose asked.

Alice looked up and wrinkled her nose. "It probably does, but I don't really care."

Bella placed a cup of coffee in front of each friend and turned to get the cream out of the refrigerator. "So, what happens now? Is that just a naïve question to ask?"

"I'll love you forever and ever if those eggs and cheese in that refrigerator somehow turn into an omelet. I kind of worked up an appetite," Alice said with a grin and a wink. When Bella pulled out the carton of eggs and bag of shredded cheese, Alice sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "After the second or third round-"

"Second or third round?!" Bella said with surprise written all over her face. "Sorry. Continue."

Alice pointed at Bella and said, "Honey, we really need to broaden your sexual horizons. But that's a whole other discussion. Anyway, I think it was the third round. We were lying there and logic started to seep in. We realized that we didn't know anything about each other. While it wasn't really a big deal since casual relationships weren't a foreign thing for either of us, we agreed that with sex that phenomenal, we should probably give dinner a try. He's picking me up at six tomorrow night."

"Do you really think dinner is such a good idea? Once it gets dark, all logic might be out the window," Rose said, knowing her best friend.

Alice just shrugged. "Honestly, the sex was so amazing that I'm pretty sure that logic would fail to exist even in broad daylight, in public, in a church."

"Wow," was all Bella said, as she poured the eggs into the pan on the stove.

"Damn," Rose agreed.

"What about you?" Alice asked Rose. "Don't think I didn't notice that Emmett was textbook your type. I saw you feeling him up all night. Those pushes and smacks were just excuses to put your hands all over that man's body."

Rose ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "Oh I'm physically attracted to him, and I know that man wants me. But I don't know if I want to go down a road that's paved with only sex. I've crossed over into my thirties, and I want a real relationship. I want talks that last all night long. I want companionship and commitment. I just don't know if that's something Emmett is interested in."

Bella put the first omelet on a plate and slid it to Alice. "Did you ask him or talk about anything? All I saw was a bunch of flirting."

"He asked me for my number and I gave it to him. He said he'd call me. We'll see if he does," Rose said. "Now let's talk about you and your hunky firefighter."

"He's taking me to dinner at his parents' house tomorrow night," Bella said as she cracked two more eggs into a bowl. "I'm scared shitless."

Rose laughed. "You must be freaking out if you're cussing. What are you worried about? They'll love you."

Bella beat the eggs a little more vigorously than probably necessary. "I just want them to like me. I've never had a guy matter to me like Edward does, so I don't want to mess this up with his family since they're so close. I mean, come on. His mom is Esme Platt Cullen. I Googled her! I admit it. Okay? She has freaking lineage. Who has that?! And she's a successful business woman. Who am I? I'm just a plain little Kindergarten teacher. No offense, Alice."

Alice waived her hand. "None taken. But Bella, you are way more than you think you are. You are not plain, and it takes a damn lot of skill, talent, and guts to wrangle 20 five year olds all day."

"And you didn't see the way that Edward was looking at you all night," Rose said. "That man is gone for you. If he's as close with his parents as you say he is, then all his mom needs to do is take one look at her son to know that you're special to him. Any good mom will love you just because her son does."

Bella placed Rose's omelet in front of her and shook her head. "But he doesn't love me, Rose. Not yet at least."

Rose and Alice reached forward at the same time. Placing their hands on hers, they said in unison, "Yes, he does."

Bella shook her head and pulled her hands back to grab another couple of eggs from the carton. "He can't. It's been less than a month that we've even known each other."

"Love doesn't know time, Bella," Rose said. "Love isn't logical, and it doesn't make sense. That's why it's so difficult sometimes. You can't control it, and you can't restrain it. Love just happens, sometimes when you least expect it."

Alice nodded. "You can't honestly tell me that you don't love him, Bella."

Bella thought about it as she cracked the eggs into the bowl. She picked up the fork and started to scramble the eggs, and when the realization of her feelings hit her, she started to beat the eggs so hard that little drops of egg were flying over the side of the bowl.

"Thank god we got our omelets first. I think that one's going to be a little overworked," Rose said, digging in to her breakfast.

* * *

When Jasper walked into the kitchen, Edward just laughed. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were wrinkled. Taking a sip of his coffee, he appraised his friend and said, "Butch, you look like you've been ridden hard and ridden well."

Jasper grabbed the biggest coffee cup out of the cupboard and said, "The young ones. Damn."

Emmett came in and clapped Jasper on the shoulder. "See? I told you, man. There's something to be said about the stamina and bendiness of the young ones."

"So what are you going to do now? If you just fuck and chuck her, Bella might get upset. Then I'll have to kill you," Edward said with complete seriousness.

Jasper took a long sip of his coffee and said, "Don't worry. I'm thinking the head on my shoulders. We're going to dinner tomorrow night to see if we like each other's company as much as we like having sex."

Edward just nodded and looked at Emmett. "What about you?"

Emmett rooted around in the freezer and found some of his frozen burritos. Throwing two in the microwave, he said, "I got Rosie's number. I'm going to wear her down. She'll realize she loves me soon enough. Just give it some time."

"So you were serious when you called her your girlfriend?" Jasper asked, running a hand through his hair to try to tame it a little.

"Of course," Emmett said. "I don't say that shit just for kicks and giggles. Some chicks tend to get psycho about labels and crap."

"Yeah, but now you seem like the psycho one," Edward said.

Emmett shook his head. "No, I'm showing Rosie that I'm committed. There's a difference."

Edward drank the last of his coffee and said, "Really? And how does calling her your girlfriend after two hours seem more like commitment than a psychological short coming?"

Emmett gave Edward a deadpanned look and said, "Because women as beautiful as Rosie get hit on all the time. Guys want to lure her into their beds constantly. By calling her my girlfriend, I'm showing her that I'm not in this just for her super hot body. I'm in this for her."

"She could still be a psycho bitch. You never know," Jasper said, looking down at his shirt to realize how badly wrinkled it really was.

Emmett just shrugged his shoulders and got up to retrieve his burritos from the microwave. "That could be okay. A little crazy never hurt anyone. In fact, it'll probably keep things more interesting, spice things up a bit. And you know I like spicy!"

* * *

That night, Bella was lying in bed reading when her cell phone alerted her to a new text message. Crossing her fingers, she hoped it wasn't her mom. Renee's text messages still went on like dissertations, and she just didn't have the attention span for that today. When Bella saw that it was from Edward, she smiled. Putting the book aside, she read Edward's text.

**"I miss you, Pretty Bella. Mom said not to bring anything tomorrow. She's got dinner all taken care of. You've given her an excuse to take out the china. Whatever that means." – E**

**"I miss you too, Edward. No fires today?" – B**

**"Nope. All quiet on the home front. That's a good thing. I don't think Jasper's fit to handle a fire today." – E**

**"Too funny. Alice spent the day snoring on my couch. Don't tell Jasper she snores. She'll kill me." – B**

**"My lips are sealed. Was Rose sleeping on your couch today too?" – E**

**"No. We were watching the "Where are They Now?" marathon on the Oprah Network. It's quite addicting." – B**

**"Is that still on? What are you doing now?" – E**

**"Lying in bed reading the new Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child." – B**

**"Jack Reacher like the Tom Cruise movie?" – E**

**"That movie was just sacrilegious! Tom Cruise is NOT Jack Reacher material. I was so upset when they did that. He's not manly enough to be Reacher!" – B**

**"Who is manly enough to have played Reacher?" – E**

**"Jason Statham. Jeremy Renner. Christian Bale. Daniel Craig. Gerard Butler. A lot of people that are NOT Tom Cruise!" – B**

**"Wow, you're passionate about this. Are you still in bed? What are you wearing?" – E**

**"You're really gonna ask me what I'm wearing while you're in a fire house full of guys?" – B**

**"Point taken." – E**

**"Do you ever get two days in a row off?" – B**

**"No, I'm sorry, Baby. I'm on a continuous rotation of 24-hour shifts every other day. The only time I get more than 24 hours off is when I take vacation." – E**

**"It's okay. I was just wondering. It's better than when my dad would go on stakeouts or undercover. There'd be times we didn't see him for several days at a time. Do you ever use your vacation days? Where do you go?" – B**

**"I rarely use it, and when I do I don't really go anywhere. I've gone back to Alaska a couple times just to fish and get away, but I usually just stay here and hang out. I think I've accrued something like 3 months worth of unused vacation time." – E**

**"Three months?! That's insane." – B**

**"I know. I never had a reason to take time off before. I'm thinking maybe now I do…" – E**

**"I like the sound of that. It's getting late. You better get some sleep. What if you get a call between now and 9 a.m.? I don't want you to be tired going into a dangerous situation." – B**

**"You're right. Jasper's been sleeping since 7 p.m. Alice must've really worn him out. I'll see you tomorrow?" – E**

**"You'll see me tomorrow for sure." – B**

**"Can I come by a little early just to hang out before we head to my parents' place?" – E**

**"Of course. The Rose is making us go running tomorrow since we slacked off today. I should be back by noon." – B**

**"I'll be there around then. I'll bring lunch." – E**

**"Yum. Stay safe." – B**

**"Always. Sweet dreams." – E**


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Firefighterward's experiences are loosely built around that of my father-in-law, who was a federal firefighter for 30+ years in my home state._

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 13_

It was eight thirty on Sunday morning, and Edward was ready to get the hell out of the fire house. He was putting his cell phone charger in his backpack when the captain came in and ordered everyone into the kitchen. As Edward sat at the counter with this packed bag in his lap, he watched the rest of the guys stroll in at a very leisurely pace. When Emmett and Jasper were the last to enter, he said, "Hurry the fuck up, assholes! Some of us have places to go."

Garrett laughed and looked at Edward. "What's the rush, Booboo? Who lit a fire under your ass this morning?"

Jasper just snickered and sat down in the stool next to Edward. "He's got a hot chick waiting for him at home now, so he can't wait to get out of here."

Edward rolled his eyes and gave Jasper the finger. His lack of rebuttal made Garrett sit up in his chair. Turning his body to face Edward, he asked, "Shut the fuck up. You have a chick? At home? At _your_ home? No shit."

The Captain cleared his throat, and said, "You ladies can talk about Cullen's love life after we get through the briefing. I just wanted to remind all of you that we have the annual Fireman's Ball coming up in a month. You are all required to attend. You cannot feign illness, take an unexpected trip, or create a dead relative. I know all of your tricks, so just give it up now. As in the past, you must all put on a fun little show for our donors. This year the Board decided to bring back the Rock Band Karaoke contest and the Bachelor Auction. Deal with it."

When he saw all of his men's heads hanging, the Captain just laughed. "Cullen, I see your wheels turning. You CANNOT buy your way out of this. Take out some cash and give it to your lady, so she can purchase you before one of the STD twins gets their infected paws on your goods at the Auction. Let's all learn a thing or two from Jacob."

"Aw, come on, Cap! They were just starting to forget about that!" Jacob said with a whine.

As all the guys laughed at Jacob's misfortune, the Captain bid everyone farewell and dismissed them. Standing up, Edward clapped Jacob on the shoulder and said, "Thanks, man. I can always count on you to get the attention off of me."

Edward rushed home, so he could take a shower in his own bathroom. When he threw on a fresh set of clothes, he felt much better. Grabbing his keys and his wallet, he stopped at the deli on the way to Bella's house to pick-up lunch. By the time he got to Bella's house it was just before noon. After knocking, Edward realized that he hadn't called Bella to let her know that he was on his way. He knew that she'd said she'd be home by then, but what if she was running late?

Just as he was taking his phone out of his pocket, Bella opened the door. Her hair was wet and she was wrapped in just a towel. Before he could stop himself, Edward's eyes dropped to wander down Bella's body.

"Wow," Edward said. "Is this what you look like every Sunday at noon? If it is, I'm coming over every Sunday that I'm off at noon."

Bella felt her cheeks burn with blush. Her hand clenched the towel to her chest, and she said with a nervous tremble to her voice. "I just got out of the shower. I, uh, I-"

Edward brought his free hand to Bella's hip and gently nudged her back, so he could follow her into the apartment. Closing the door behind him, he turned them, so she was between him and the door. Edward set the bag of food on the shelf Bella had next to the table and returned his hands to her hips. Taking a step closer to her, he gently squeezed her hips and said in a voice that was huskier than normal, "Bella, you know I completely respect you, right?"

Bella nodded and looked Edward in the eyes.

"Good. You know that I care about you very, very much, right?"

Bella nodded again.

"Good. Because if I don't kiss you now, I might die," Edward said before he brought his lips to hers.

Bella felt like her whole body was on fire. The way he was kissing her now was completely different than all of the other times before. This time was more intense. His lips were firm on hers, and his hands were strong and insistent on her hips. As their kiss grew deeper, she could feel her heart rate speed up, and when his lips travelled from hers down the column of her neck, she gasped and brought her arms up around his neck.

With her hands entwined in his hair, Edward felt the towel fall. If it weren't for his hands on her hips, the towel would've fallen completely to the ground. When they both realized what had happened, they pulled back and met each other's eyes.

Bella blinked and took a deep breath. When she looked in Edward's eyes, she saw every answer to every question she didn't even know she had. Feeling safer and more secure than she'd ever felt, she said in a firm voice, "Edward, let the towel fall."

"Baby, if I let that towel fall, I don't think I can stop-"

"I don't want you to stop," Bella said, as she reached down with her hands to grab his wrists to bring them away from her hips so the towel could drop. When the towel fell to a pool around her ankles, she watched as Edward's eyes followed the towel.

Bella had been intimate with boyfriends before, but she'd never been this naked in front of anyone. All the times before had been at night, in the dark, under the sheets. Even though she was more exposed than ever, she was surprised that she wasn't embarrassed. There was something in the way that Edward looked at her that made her feel safe…and even loved.

Edward couldn't stop staring. Slowly, he brought his hand up and ran just his fingertips gently down the side of Bella's body from the side of her breasts all the way down to her thighs. He smiled when he saw a trail of goose bumps in his fingers' wake.

"So, so pretty," he mumbled. Looking up in Bella's eyes, he said softly, "I didn't come here for this. I really came to eat lunch."

Bella laughed, and couldn't believe she was laughing, while standing naked against her door. Before she lost her nerve, she said, "I know, but how about we have an appetizer first?"

Edward's face broke out into the biggest grin. Bending down, he picked Bella up into a Fireman's carry. As Bella giggled, Edward gently smacked her ass and said, "Baby, this is going to be the best appetizer you've ever had."

* * *

An hour later, Edward lay in Bella's bed. She had her head on his shoulder, and he was running his fingers through her hair. His other hand was running up and down the forearm that she had wrapped around his chest. As he looked around Bella's room, he realized two things: one, that was the best sex he'd ever had; and two, he had fallen completely in love with Bella Swan.

When Bella turned her head to place a soft kiss on the middle of his chest, Edward felt like he was going to explode if he didn't tell her. Taking a chance that she might not be able to say the words back just yet, he said softly, "Bella?"

Bella had her eyes closed and was enjoying the feel of his fingers in her hair. "Mmmhmmm?"

"I love you."

Bella's eyes snapped open and her head popped up. Looking at his face, she could tell that she shocked him with the sudden movement. Smiling, she crawled up his body and moved so she was straddling him. With her face directly over his, she said, "Say it again. I want to see you when you say it."

Edward placed his hands on Bella's hips again to steady her. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. "Baby, you have to stay still. I can't think when you move on me like that."

Feeling more powerful than ever, Bella sank down again and ran herself back and forth over him. "You mean like that?"

Groaning, Edward's fingers flexed in her hips.

Bella giggled and moved again, this time taking all of him inside of her. When Edward groaned again, his eyes opened and met hers. Leaning forward, Bella brought her face closer to his. Softly, she said, "Say it again."

Edward reached up and cupped her face. "I love you, Pretty Bella Swan."

Bella smiled and said, "I love you, Edward Cullen. So much. Did you want lunch?"

Edward brought his hands back to Bella's hips and started to lift her to move on him. "I could care less about food. I just want you."

Following Edward's instruction, Bella was glad that he was taking control. She'd never been on top before and was starting to realize how much she'd been missing out on. Locking her eyes with his, she said, "Good. I only ever want you."

* * *

Three hours later, their lunch had been put into Bella's refrigerator uneaten. Edward stood at the doorway holding the big container filled with something that smelled sweet and delicious, while Bella ran into the bathroom to check her make-up once more. When she finally came out, Edward stopped her and put a hand on her cheek.

"Baby," he said softly, "you look amazing. In fact, it's taking all of my will power not to drag you back into the bedroom right now. But my mom would kill me if I didn't let her meet the girl who has my heart."

Bella smiled and felt her insides turn to goo again. "Such a sweet talker. I love you."

Edward placed a soft kiss on her lips, being careful not to smudge her lip gloss. Licking his lips as he pulled away, he chuckled lightly. "Mmm, strawberry. Let's save that for later."

The ride to his parents' house was filled with laughter and conversation. They never ran out of things to talk about, and Edward loved that. Time flew and before they knew it, they were pulling into the driveway. Before he even put the car in park, his mom was out the door and standing in the doorway. Rolling his eyes, he unlatched his seatbelt and rushed out of the car to get Bella's door before she could get out on her own.

When she was standing in front of him, Edward leaned forward and kissed her quickly. "Hey, I love you."

That brought a big smile to Bella's face, and she instantly felt calmer. Taking Edward's hand, she followed him to the house where his dad had joined his mother.

Esme watched her son walk the pretty brunette to meet her. In all of his thirty years, Edward had only brought a few girls home to meet them. Seeing them together, she knew instantly that this one was different. This was the first time she'd seen Edward kiss a girl and hold her hand. She had always thought that maybe Edward wasn't one for public displays of affection, but this girl just proved that he'd never had the right person to share affection with.

Once they reached the house, Edward made the introductions between his girlfriend and his parents. When Bella shook Esme's hand, Esme was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the young woman's grip. She was used to having socialites shake her hand with dainty fingers and limp wrists. Bella had a firm handshake, and that Esme could respect. Smiling, she said, "It's nice to finally meet the girl that puts a smile on Edward's face."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen. I know you told Edward that I didn't need to bring anything for dinner, but I couldn't come empty-handed. I made zucchini bread. It tastes pretty good with coffee in the mornings for breakfast," Bella said feeling a little nervous about cooking for Edward's mom.

Esme's smile grew. "Honey, that's so thoughtful. I love zucchini bread, but I never have time to make it for myself. Thank you."

"Finally, someone made me breakfast," Carlisle said, dodging the elbow that his wife threw at him. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

Without thinking, Bella shook Carlisle's hand and said, "Wow, everyone in this family is so good-looking."

When she realized what she'd said, her hands flew to her mouth, and Bella's ears burned bright red. Edward just laughed and wrapped his arm around Bella's waist.

Esme laughed lightly and took Bella's hand. "Where else do you think Edward got his good looks from? Come on, dear. Let's go hide this delicious bread from my husband, while he and Edward go get the wine from the cellar."

Bella felt her eyebrows raise at the mention of a cellar but kept her mouth shut this time. Following behind Esme, she said, "Your home is beautiful. But then again, you are an interior designer, of course you have a beautiful home."

When they got to the kitchen, Esme put the bread on the counter and looked at Bella. "Bella, you don't have to be nervous with me. You already have my blessing, my approval, whatever it is you were wanting. I can see that my son loves you very much. He doesn't love easily, so if he chose you it means something."

Bella's eyes went down to the counter and back up to meet Esme's. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I know that he worries because of his job, but please know that I can handle it. My dad was a cop, and he died in the line of duty. I'm stronger than I seem. I love your son, and he's worth everything."

Esme smiled. "You and I are going to get along just fine, Bella."

When the table was set and everyone took their seats, Edward poured his mother a glass of wine and said, "Hey Lady, before I forget, I have a bone of contention to pick with you."

Bella's eyes raised a little. She'd never heard Edward speak that way to his parents before and was a little surprised. She was even more surprised when Carlisle just started to giggle.

Edward looked at his dad and said, "You knew and didn't warm me, Old Man? Some ally you are."

Esme passed Bella the basket of rolls and said, "Edward, the goal of the Fireman's Ball is to raise funds for fire department. You can complain all you want, but you're going to be a part of it in the end regardless of how much you fight it."

Edward growled and took a deep breath. Turning to Bella he said, "Baby, the Fireman's Ball is next month, and I'd like you to come with me if you're free."

"I'd love to," Bella smiled and nodded. "But you don't want to go?"

"It's not that I don't want to go the Ball itself," Edward explained. "I'm adamantly opposed to the ridiculous lengths that the Board, made up of my maliciously creative mother and her friends, go to in order to raise funds for the department."

"Son, it's not that bad," Carlisle said.

"Shut up, Old Man, before I tell mom about the-"

Esme waived her hand at the men and said, "I already know about the cigars that he has stashed in the pool house."

"Honey, this roast is delicious," Carlisle said with a big smile.

"Save it. I threw the cigars away two days ago," Esme said. Handing Carlisle the brussel sprouts, she said, "Don't eat too much red meat. You have to see your cardiologist next month. Edward, you have a girlfriend this year. You have nothing to worry about."

While Bella just laughed at the dynamic in this family, Edward explained, "If you really, truly love me, you will help me. My mother and her evil band of bored old ladies decided that it would be a wonderful fundraiser to reinstate Rock Band Karaoke contest and Bachelor Auction."

"The Rock Band Karaoke contest is supposed to get the crowd all riled up and ready to go, so the bids are higher during the Bachelor Auction," Esme said.

Bella nodded. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

"Baby!" Edward said in shock.

"Edward, how bad can it be?" Bella asked innocently.

Esme laughed. "Bella, there are these two sisters that live near Edward's station. They are notorious for saving all year for the Fireman's Ball. They love to bid on the boys."

"Mom, let's be honest," Edward said. "They come to the ball looking like cheap hookers, then they bid on a poor guy thinking that they're giving the dude a treat because it'll be a threesome. All that ends up happening is that the guy contracts an STD."

Bella's jaw dropped. "Did that happen to you?"

"What?!" Edward realized the implication of what he'd just said and how it would seem. "No! Bella, I promise you, I'm clean. The only times I've ever touched my trust fund has been to buy my way out of the Auction. I only ever withdraw money for charitable causes, and two-ply TP at the station is a very necessary cause."

"Well, the other women found out that Edward had been buying his way out, so they enacted a rule that he couldn't do that anymore. He's one of the most eligible bachelors, and they think he might bring in more money if he's up for auction," Esme said.

"So, you want me to buy you at the Auction?" Bella asked. When Edward nodded, she said, "Well, how much are the winning bids?"

"The last time we had an Auction, the winning bids ranged between $2,000 and $8,000," Esme said.

"$8,000?! Edward, I'm sorry, but I don't have that kind of money," Bella said.

Edward reached over and took Bella's hand in his, "Bella, I would never ask you to spend that kind of money on me. I'll give you the money. Remember, two-ply is very important to me. I'm doing this for myself. You just have to promise to bid on me no matter what."

Bella sighed. "That's some expensive toilet paper, Edward."

Leaning toward Bella, Edward placed his lips against her ear and whispered, "The toilet paper is just an added benefit this year. I'm thinking that this year it might be a good idea to put in for some vacation time following the auction. That way I can spend the rest of the night thanking you properly for being my hero."

Bella was thankful that she was sitting down, since the feeling of him whispering against her ear and the words he was saying made her legs feel like jelly. Grabbing her wine, she took a sip and just said, "That's a good idea."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! Logged 60+ hours in the office this week and the terrible twos are in full force at home._

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 14_

It was a week before the Firefighter's Ball, and the girls were sitting in Bella's tiny living room watching "The Proposal" and eating pizza. Since Rose had finished her half marathon, she was back on carbs and anything gluten-filled. Even though the guys had the night off from the fire station, they were locked away at Emmett's apartment practicing for the Rock Band Karaoke competition. As Bella admired Sandra Bullock's shoes, her phone alerted her to a text message.

**"Help."** **- E**

**"Only if you tell me what song you're doing." – B**

**"…" – E**

**"Okay. Have fun with Emmett and Jasper then." – B**

**"Babe, I can't surprise you if you know what song we're doing." – E**

**"I can act surprised. I'm a really good pretender." – B**

**"You know I can't tell you. Emmett swore us to secrecy. He made us do a pact and everything. That idiot." – E**

**"Will you at least tell me what instrument you're playing?" – B**

**"…" – E**

**"You're no fun. Go hang out with the boys. I'm getting to the good part of the movie where Ryan Reynolds gets naked." – B**

**"I'm so much hotter than him. You know it." – E**

**"Huh…I think the girls and I might do a Rock Band Karaoke thing of our own tonight to P!NK's U + UR Hand. What do you think?" – B**

**"I love you!" – E**

**"I love you." – B**

Bella threw her phone on the pillow next to her and grabbed another slice of pizza.

"Any clues?" Alice asked. "I tried asking Jasper, but he just distracted me with sex."

Rose laughed. "How's that going by the way? You've been drifting in and out of the apartment a lot more lately."

"It's…going. I guess," Alice shrugged. "We're trying to do the dating thing where we get to know each other, but we always end up having sex and the talking just stops. Well, there's talking. But it's more of the 'right there', 'harder', 'faster', 'more' type of talking."

Bella choked on her pizza and said, "Geez!"

Alice turned her whole body around to look at Bella. She pointed her finger at her friend, and said, "Oh, no, you don't. Don't think I haven't noticed that you are much more chipper lately. I think someone's had a hunky fire fighter between her sheets."

Rose nodded and asked, "So, have you experienced your first 'oh my god, I'm gonna pass out' orgasm yet?"

Immediately, Bella felt her cheeks and ears burn bright red. She dropped her face into the pillow she was holding and said, "I plead the fifth."

"Ha!" Alice shouted. Jumping up on the couch she was sitting on, she said, "You have! Edward looks like he'd be good in bed."

Bella just shook her head and looked at Rose. "What about you, Rose? Has Emmett worn you down yet? Edward said he tells everyone at the fire house that you're his girlfriend."

Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head. With a small smirk, she said, "He gets an 'A' for effort, but I'm still not totally convinced. He's hot, but part of me thinks that I'm too old to be in a relationship just because I'm physically attracted to them."

"But how do you know that he's not in it for more too?" Bella asked.

Rose just shrugged. "He's a guy."

Bella threw her pillow at Rose, and said, "Rose. You can't seriously be saying that."

"Bella, I've been in enough relationships with enough guys to know that all guys are in it for two things," Rose said. Pointing to emphasize her point, she said, "They're in it for the tits and the ass."

"Well, then you just haven't been with the right guys," Bella said. "I thought that I wasn't sexual enough to have the orgasms you guys talked about, but I was wrong. I just didn't have the right guy."

Alice nodded. "The girl does have a point. I thought older guys were just boring. Jasper's not boring. He's far from it, actually. We fight and have sex. We pick on each other and have sex. We make small talk until we have sex."

"Have you and Jasper ever considered, maybe, not having sex?" Bella asked.

Immediately, Alice answered, "No. it's so much fun. Why would I take the fun out of my own life?"

"Maybe for the chance of something more with someone?" Rose said with a "duh" tone in her voice.

"I don't know," Alice said. "Jasper can be very persuasive when he wants to be. When he-"

"No!" Bella said, holding up her hand. "I like my ignorance. I don't want to get weird, embarrassing mental images when I see my boyfriend's friends."

* * *

It took an entire day to convince Emmett that he and Jasper were all set for the Rock Band Karaoke competition, so it would be okay for them to take a night off. He missed Bella and wanted to spend time with her. When he finished with his shift, he went home and did some laundry and cleaned up a little. When it was just about two o'clock, he left his house to surprise Bella at school.

By the time Edward got to the school, most of the kids had gone home. He walked through the halls and made it to Bella's classroom. When he got there, he found her wiping down the table tops. Smiling, he knocked on the door frame.

When Bella looked up and saw Edward leaning in her door, she smiled. Jumping up, she ran up to him for a big hug and a kiss. With her arms still wrapped around his neck, she said, "Hi! This is such a nice surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," Edward said. "And it was such a nice day outside today that I thought it deserved some ice cream."

Bella laughed and looked inside the Baskin Robbins bag. "What flavor are we trying today? Rocky Road. It's a good thing Rose still drags me on runs with her, otherwise all these ice cream dates would start getting a little noticeable."

Edward just shook his head and followed Bella to her desk. "There'd just be more of you to love."

"You're such a suck up," Bella said. Pulling out the two spoons, she handed him one. "We've struck out on almost 20 flavors. I'm starting to think that maybe Baskin Robbins isn't your favorite."

"It has to be," Edward said. Taking the cover off, the dug in and took a big bite. When he swallowed, he met Bella's expectant eyes. "Nope. Not it. I actually think it might not be a chocolate flavor."

Bella licked her spoon clean and dug in for another scoop. "Well, we'll just have to keep trying. We've got a dozen more flavors left. Do you think it might've been a special occasion flavor like Eggnog or something? Maybe that's why we haven't found it yet."

Edward thought hard and shook his head. "I can't think that it would be. I don't like eggnog, and I actually don't really like pumpkin either."

"So, how did you get out of practice today? I thought Emmett was hell bent on attaining perfection because he wanted to win the Karaoke contest," Bella said.

"I talked him out of it. I told him that we were awesome already, and I convinced him that there was such a thing as over-practicing," Edward said. He took another scoop of ice cream and said, "So my vacation is all set and confirmed for after the Ball."

Bella smiled. "Okay. That's good. I'm glad that I'll get to see you for more than a few hours at a time."

Edward rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness and said in a quieter voice, "So, I was thinking that if it was okay with you, maybe I could stay over?"

Bella loved Edward anxiousness. She thought it was the cutest thing. Reaching forward, she said, "I kinda thought that was the plan. I was hoping you would. In fact, if you wanted to, you could pack a bag and stay with me for your whole vacation. Then it'd be like a staycation for you. But I don't know if you'd get sick of me."

Edward flipped his hand over and laced his fingers through Bella's. "Pretty Bella. I could never get sick of you."

When the ice cream was finished, Edward helped Bella straighten up her classroom. He wiped down the toys and swept the floor. Nostalgia hit him hard when he was erasing the board, and he was amazed at how small the chairs were. He remembered them being so big when he was a kid. Just as they were about to leave, his phone rang.

"Hi Mom."

"Edward, you wouldn't by chance be with Bella right now, would you?"

"I am, why?"

"Do you have plans to be anywhere important right now?"

"No, why? Mom, what are you up to? I can hear it in your voice."

"I actually need her help. We won the bid for the new Children's Hospital, and a big part is the therapy rooms for the kids. I wanted to get her input, since she's a professional."

"Hold on." Edward put his hand over the microphone, and turned to Bella. "Babe, my mom needs your professional advice on a project she's working on. Do you mind if we stop by her office real quick, so you can see what she wants?"

Bella shrugged and nodded her head. "I'm not sure how helpful I can be, but I'll do my best if she thinks I can be of use."

Removing his hand, Edward said, "Mom, we'll be at your office in twenty minutes."

"Great! Thank you. Bye"

While they were on their way to Esme's office, Bella and Edward talked about Bella's day and all of the different things that the kids did. Edward was amazed at how much she did with them every day. If he had to be responsible for that many people all day long, he would be exhausted.

When they got to Esme's office, Edward got into the elevator with Bella. As soon as he pushed the floor button, it occurred to him. Slapping his forehead, he said, "Baby, I'm going to apologize in advance."

Bella turned to Edward and said, "For what?"

When the elevator door opened, Jessica's blond head popped up. Edward felt the chills run up his spine as he felt her eyes rake down his body. "That."

Before Bella could say anything, she heard the clacking of heels coming towards them. "Edward! Hi!"

Edward reached out quickly and grabbed Bella's hand tightly in his. Picking up his pace, he pulled Bella behind him to his mom's office. "Hi Jessica. MY GIRLFRIEND and I are here to see mom. Okay, Bye!"

At the word girlfriend, Jessica stopped dead in her tracks. She narrowed her eyes at Bella and didn't even try to hide the fact that she was sizing the other woman up. "But, Edward, she's not even pretty."

That made Edward stop dead in his tracks. He pulled Bella gently in the direction of his mom's office, but before he could get a word out, he heard his mom's voice.

"Jessica! Consider this your warning. If you say one more thing that is considered unprofessional and malicious towards my family, you can kiss your job goodbye," Esme said from the doorway of her office.

Putting on her best innocent face, Jessica said, "But Esme, I didn't say anything about Edward."

Esme put her hands on her hips and took a step closer. "Bella is my future daughter-in-law. She is family. Get back to work. Now."

Bella's eyes had grown as large as saucers. Silently, she followed Edward into his mom's office. When the door was closed, Edward said, "I'm so sorry, Baby."

Before Bella could respond, Esme pulled her into a hug, and said, "Yes, Bella, dear. I'm so sorry. Jessica is…a nuisance. I don't have a legal reason to fire her yet, but I'm biding my time."

Edward shrugged. "Apparently being a heinous bitch isn't legal grounds to fire someone."

"Edward!" Bella said. "I've never heard you talk that way about anyone before."

Esme took Bella's hand and said, "Sweetie, Jessica's been trying to molest my son from the moment she met him. She eye-rapes him every chance she gets."

Bella gasped and said, "Okay, I get it. She is a heinous bitch. I hope you find a legal reason soon, Esme."

Mother and son laughed, and Esme brought Bella to her small round table that had renderings lying on it. "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to the new and improved Children's Hospital."

As Esme showed Bella the different drawings, he sat down behind his mom's desk and started to google games he could play online. As he listened to them banter back and forth, he thought about what his mom had said in the lobby. Daughter-in-law…he could get used to that.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Just a short one since I'm swamped at work again. _

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 15_

On the evening of the Fireman's Ball, Edward, Emmett and Jasper were forced to help set-up the venue, so they had to ask the girls to meet them there. It irritated Edward that he wouldn't get to pick Bella up and see her for the first time at her doorway, and he hated that he had to ask her to drive herself on a date. But the Chief and the Captain were firm on their stance. All men were to report to the venue three hours prior to set-up and chip-in. "Misery loves company" they said.

When six o'clock came, the guests were beginning to file in the door. The women were dressed in various degrees of evening wear, and most of the men were in suits and tuxedos. Tickets for the evening were sold at $300 a person, so Edward knew that most of the guests would be dressed appropriately. However, he wasn't surprised when he saw the twins wearing the most hideous outfits ever made. Tanya was wearing a lime green spandex Band-Aid that barely covered the essentials. Irina, on the other hand, was wearing a neon orange dress that was so tight, Edward wasn't sure how she was breathing.

Edward kept scanning the incoming crowd until he saw her. Bella was wearing a peacock blue dress that fit her just right. She'd left her hair down, and Edward couldn't wait to run his fingers through it. When he met her just inside the entryway, he placed the lightest of kisses on her lips, not wanting to smudge her make-up.

"You are the prettiest girl here," Edward said. Not being able to help himself, he ran his fingers through the ends of her hair. "Thank you for meeting me here. I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up."

Bella brought her hands up and smoothed them over the lapels of Edward's jacket. "It was no trouble. Rose, Alice, and I rode together. You look very handsome tonight."

Edward blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "My mom told me which suit to wear. She said I can't be trusted to pick my own clothes."

When Rose and Alice came to greet Edward, he looked at the three women together. Smirking to himself, he had to admit that he and the boys were the luckiest sons of bitches in all of Phoenix. They had the most beautiful women in the audience waiting for them. Before he could forget, Edward pulled out his wallet and handed a small, folded piece of paper to each woman.

"What's this?" Rose asked. She unfolded the piece of paper and saw that it was a signed, blank check. Feeling her eyes widen, she said, "Edward, are you going to buy me that new wardrobe I've been dreaming about?"

Alice bounced in her place and said, "Aw, thanks, Edward! How did you know that I wanted that new Hermes bag?"

Edward held up his hand and said, "Whoa. Tell your boyfriends-"

"He's not my boyfriend," Rose said indignantly.

"Whatever," Edward said with a roll of his eyes. "Emmett and Jasper can buy you whatever you want, since I'm doing this for them. These blank checks are to make sure that you ladies go home with the right guy. Whatever it takes, just bid on Emmett and Jasper. If you don't get the winning bids for them, I'll never hear the end of it. So, please. Help a guy out and win the bids. Those two whine like champs."

Bella bit her lip and looked at Edward nervously. She remembered how high Esme said the bids might go, so she asked "What if the bidding gets really high?"

Edward reached forward and put a hand on Bella's cheek. "Who would pay that much for one of our sorry asses? I don't care how high the bidding goes, Baby. I'm going home with you. No matter what. I told you before that I don't use the money in that account, and I want, no need, 2-ply TP. You can't subject a man to single-ply, Babe. That's just cruel."

Taking a deep breath, Bella put the check in her purse. "All right. This better be the most spectacular toilet paper, Edward."

"It's Charmin, Babe," Edward said with a wink. Just as he was about to say something else, the announcement was made for all the guests to take their seats. Knowing that he needed to report backstage, Edward groaned. "I have to go before Emmett flips his shit. He only let me out this long to give you girls the checks. Remember, win the bids. No matter what!"

With a thumbs up, Edward ran back stage and left the girls to find their seats. They quickly found that they were seated at table number 3, directly in front of the stage with Edward's parents, as well as his captain and chief with their respective spouses.

When Rose was introduced to Captain Banner, he shook her hand and said, "It's nice to finally meet the woman that managed to tame Emmett."

Rose laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not so sure that I tamed him, Captain. He's still pretty unruly."

That got a big laugh out of the captain and the chief. "That is true, but I'm happy to see that you're sharp enough to keep him in line. He needs that."

As dinner was served, the Rock Band Karaoke portion of the program started. Bella couldn't believe the amount of talent that the guys had. Some of them had really great voices and could actually play instruments. Garrett, Peter, and some other firefighter named Ben did their rendition of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name", and Jacob, Seth, and Sam from a neighboring house did Duran Duran's "Hungry Like A Wolf".

When it was Edward, Jasper, and Emmett's turn, Bella and the girls started laughing as soon as they got up on stage. Each of the guys had a wig on with true 1980's Rock Band Power Ballad hair. They had long, blond mullet wigs, and they were wearing acid wash jeans with high-top Nikes. Each guy was wearing a tight white tee-shirt with his girl's photo on the front. When the music started up, the girls started to laugh even harder.

As Edward watched Emmett on the drums, Jasper on base, and Edward on the guitar, she couldn't help but laugh. They were swaying to the music, and their eyes were closed, as if they were completely engrossed in the song. It was when Edward opened his mouth and started signing that all laughter ceased. Bella's jaw dropped when she realized that Edward could sing.

_"You know our love was meant to be_

_The kind of love to last forever  
And I want you here with me  
From tonight until the end of time  
You should know, everywhere I go  
Always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul_

Baby, you're the meaning in my life  
You're the inspiration  
You bring feeling to my life  
You're the inspiration  
Wanna have you near me  
I wanna have you hear me saying  
No one needs you more than I need you

Bella managed to tear her eyes away from the stage for a split second to glance at Rose and Alice. Both had the same shocked expressions on their faces as they listened to the guys harmonize. Shockingly all three had really good voices, and none of them had ever heard them sing before.__

"And I know, yes, I know that it's plain to see  
We're so in love when we're together  
Now I know, now I know  
That I need you here with me  
From tonight until the end of time  
You should know  
Everywhere I go  
Always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul

Baby, you're the meaning in my life  
You're the inspiration  
You bring feeling to my life  
You're the inspiration  
Wanna have you near me  
I wanna have you hear me saying  
No one needs you more than I need you

Wanna have you near me  
Wanna have you hear me saying  
No one needs you more than I need you

You're the meaning in my life  
You're the inspiration  
Bring feeling to my life

You're the inspiration  
When you love somebody  
Till the end of time  
When you love somebody

Always on my mind (No one needs you more than I)  
When you love somebody  
Till the end of time  
When you love somebody  
Always on my mind (No one needs you more than I)

When the song was over, they received a standing ovation. The audience was instructed to vote for their favorite group using the ballot forms on their table. Bella cast her vote and dropped her ballot into the vase that was at the center of the table.

As soon as all of the vases were collected, the emcees started the Bachelor Auction. When Emmett came up, Bella found that she wasn't as shocked as she anticipated she'd be when he ripped his shirt off and sent the buttons flying all over the ballroom. Looking directly at Rose, Emmett threw his shirt at her and winked. Rose just rolled her eyes, but Bella caught how she clutched the shirt to her lap. Rose could deny her feelings for all she was worth, but Bella knew that there were real feelings developing there. It was only a matter of time.

The auctioneer started the bidding at $250, and before she knew it the bids were well past $3,000. Rose was in a heated bidding war with Tanya. When Rose saw the look at Tanya was giving her, she huffed and threw down Emmett's shirt on the table. Standing up, she yelled, "$5,000!"

The auctioneer looked at Tanya for a counterbid. When none was received, he said, "Going once. Going twice. Sold to the beautiful lady in red for $5,000."

Emmett winked at Rose and hopped off the stage with a shit-eating grin on his face. When he got to Rose, he sat down in her seat and pulled her into his lap. "See? I knew you loved me, Babe!"

Realizing how much of Edward's money she just spent, Rose looked at Bella. "Please tell Edward I'm sorry. I can't believe I just spent all of that on this big ass."

Emmett just cuddled Rose closer and said, "Naw, don't worry about it, Babe. Five grand is just chump change for Mr. Moneybags."

Up next was Jasper. When he got up on stage, he was wearing his fireman's jacket and a pair of boxer briefs. He looked down at Alice and wiggled his eyebrows. Alice just rolled her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. Bidding started at $250 again, and it was only a matter of minutes before bidding exceeded $4,000. Alice watched as two women in their 50's shouted counterbids across the ballroom. Jasper, on the other hand, stood on stage and kept his stare on Alice.

Finally, when Alice could see the women wavering, she stood up and raised her paddle, "$8,000".

The auctioneer gaped like fish out of water and looked at the older women for opposition. When he got none, he said, "Going once. Going twice. Sold to the pretty lady in green."

Jasper jumped off stage and stood in front of Alice. Spreading his jacket, he put his hands on his hips. "So, how long were you going to make me wait, woman? You could've lost me, and then none of this would be yours tonight."

Alice gave Jasper a once over and said, "Don't flatter yourself, Jasper. I could've easily spent Edward's money on Seth. He's a looker, and he looks very…eager."

"Psh!" Jasper said with a wave of his hand. Sitting in Alice's chair, he pulled her in his lap, and said, "I'll show you eager. Just you wait. As soon as the Cap dismisses me, it's on, Young'un."

When Edward got on stage, Bella felt her insides melt. He'd changed back into his suit and was just standing there with his hands in his pockets. His eyes never wavered. They stayed locked on hers, and he was giving her that crooked grin that always made her feel like she was going to burst into flames. She was so fixated on him that she didn't even notice that the bidding had started until Rose elbowed her.

"$3,000!"

Bella watched as Irina drove the bids higher and higher. One by one her opposition dropped out of the race. When it was just Irina and other woman, Bella took a deep breath and threw in her bid. Eventually, the other woman dropped out and it was just her and Irina. Irina stood up and locked her eyes on Bella. Recognizing Bella as the woman on Edward's shirt from the Karaoke contest, Irina narrowed her eyes at Bella.

"8,000!"

Bella countered with $8,500, but Irina would not give up. As they continued, Bella looked between Irina's furious glare and Edward's smirk. His eyes stayed on her, and it was as if he couldn't even hear the bids. All he was focused on was Bella.

Rose looked at Irina and rolled her eyes. Looking at Bella, she said, "Honey, end this bitch. Just do it. Look at your man. He could give a cow's butt how much you spend right now. He just wants you. Give the man what he wants."

Taking a deep breath, Bella looked from Irina to Edward and said, "$15,000!"

Irina's mouth opened, but no sound came out. She looked down at Tanya who shrugged and looked like she was whispering furiously. Pretty soon, the auctioneer came to the end and said, "Sold to the pretty brunette in blue!"

Bella's jaw dropped, and Edward happily hopped off the stage. When he got to Bella, he pulled her to stand and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. Resting his forehead on hers, he said, "Best $15,000 I ever spent."

* * *

_A/N:____EEJ Rock Band Karaoke Song: "You're the Inspiration" - Peter Cetera_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Thank you to all of you who love this story, share your kind words, and have gracious patience. I appreciate each and every one of you!_

* * *

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 15_

The next morning, it took Edward a few seconds to wake up and realize where he was. For the first time in years, he woke up in an apartment that wasn't his own. Bella was still asleep next to him, and he enjoyed the sound of her breathing softly. Not wanting to wake her up and needing to answer nature's call, Edward slid out of bed quietly and went to the bathroom. After he finished up his morning ritual, he quietly made his way to the kitchen.

Edward knew that he wasn't the best cook, but he could make a decent plate of scrambled eggs. Opening the refrigerator, he found a carton of eggs and some milk and cheese. As he stood at the counter whisking the eggs, he felt two dainty arms wrap around his waist. Smiling, he felt Bella press a kiss to the center of his back between his shoulder blades.

"Good morning," Edward said. Turning around, he asked, "I didn't wake you did I?"

Bella rested her chin in the center of Edward's chest and looked up at him. Shaking her head, she said, "No. I usually don't sleep in this late. I don't remember the last time I slept that well."

Edward smiled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I think it's because you had the most awesome bed buddy."

Smirking, Bella said, "Maybe. So, what are you making?"

"Scrambled Eggs ala Edward," he said. Turning back to the stove, he put a small pat of butter in the pan and waited for it to melt. When it did, he poured the eggs in the pan and sprinkled the cheese in to the cooking eggs.

"Looks good," Bella said. Walking over to the coffee maker, she was glad that she had invested in one of the machines that had timers. She just had to push a button and coffee was ready every morning when she woke up. It was the best invention ever. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Please," Edward said. As Bella worked quietly behind him making their coffees, he realized how domestic they seemed. When the eggs were done, he separated them in two bowls and carried it over to where Bella was sitting at the table.

Looking at the cheesy eggs, Bella smiled. "That looks delicious! I love cheese in my eggs."

As they dug in, Edward watched as Bella ate happily. "I like being here with you like this. It's so simple, but it's enough. More than enough. It's everything I need and everything I didn't know I wanted."

Bella looked up and felt her eyes water. When she saw Edward's eyes widen in alarm, Bella smiled and reached forward to put her hand on his arm. "Happy tears."

Edward let out the breath he'd been holding and said, "Oh, okay. I thought maybe what I said was too much."

Bella shrugged and nodded her head. "It was a lot, but it's not too much. You're just enough for me just as you are. I like you being here with me like this too. I thought having another person in this small apartment with me would feel cramped, but you just make it complete. You make it home."

Edward leaned forward and placed a kiss on Bella's lips. She tasted like sweet coffee and cheesy eggs. But more importantly, she tasted like Bella. Just as he pulled away, his cell phone rang. Reaching behind him, he grabbed his phone off the counter. "Sorry, Baby. It's the station."

Knowing that they'd only call him on vacation if it was important, Bella just nodded and finished her eggs while Edward answered. She listened to the alarm rise in voice and the tension ease back into his shoulders and neck. Without having to know the situation, Bella knew that it meant Edward's vacation was over before it even began. Someone needed him, and he had to go.

When Edward hung up the phone, he looked at Bella who was smiling softly. Before he could say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him. "I know you have to go. Stay safe and come home to me, okay? I'll be here waiting. Hurry and go. They need you."

The fist clenched around Edward's heart squeezed tighter. Standing, he kissed her again and said, "I love you."

"Love you too," Bella said as she watched him run to the bedroom to throw on a pair of jeans. On his way back out the door, he said, "I'm leaving my bag because I am coming back."

"Okay. Be safe," Bella said with a smile. She watched him run out the door with just his wallet, keys, and cell phone. Sighing, she picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. Before she could even turn on the water to start washing, she heard her front door open.

"Who the hell decided that it was a good time to set something on fire?!" Rose asked. Going straight to the coffee machine, she grabbed two mugs for herself and Alice.

Turning around, Bella watched Alice plop herself at the kitchen table. "Did all four of you stay in that one apartment last night?"

"Yup," Alice said. "And before you ask, the stereo was on all night to drown out any…noise."

"Uh…That's…good," Bella said. "Edward made scrambled eggs, but we ate it all. I can make you guys more if you want."

Rose just waived her hand in the air. "I'm good with just coffee."

"Me too," Alice said.

Bella's phone chimed with an alert. Picking it up off the counter, she looked at the screen and read the news alert that came in.

_Bomb threat in downtown Phoenix. Local authorities called to the scene. More updates coming soon._

Gasping, Bella showed Rose and Alice the alert. Alice's eyes met Bella's, and Rose just stared at the screen in shock.

"Do you think that's why they had to go?" Alice asked.

Bella shook her head and made her way to the television. "I don't know. It probably is, and that's why they called him out of his vacation."

Rose followed Bella to the couch and said softly, "But it only says threat. Why would they need to be there if they're not sure?"

Bella met the other girls' eyes as she turned on the television. "My dad said that the news never updates in real time. Usually the authorities know much earlier than the public."

Alice grabbed a cushion and held it to her chest. "So you're saying that if the guys went, then it means that they already know that there's a bomb in the building?"

"Maybe," Bella said. "Not every situation is the same, and that was how it worked in Jacksonville. Phoenix could be completely different."

When the girls found the news station, they watched as the helicopter cams showed the scene outside of a building in downtown. As suspected there were police cars, fire engines, and ambulances waiting outside the building.

The girls watched in silence for a few minutes before Rose asked, "Bella, did your dad ever have to respond to a bomb threat?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. None of the threats turned out to be real, but he had his fair share of bomb threats, especially after 9/11."

Alice hugged the cushion even tighter and asked, "Do you think that if there really is a bomb in there that it'll be like what happened at 9/11?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked quietly.

"The rescuers got caught inside the building when they tried to help get people out," Alice whispered. She'd seen all of the news reports, television specials, and internet chain e-mails, and the images she'd seen just kept playing in her head.

Bella didn't have an answer. Instead, all three girls scooted closer together on the couch and kept their eyes glued to the television screen in front of them.

* * *

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper stood in full gear next to the truck listening to the captain explain the situation to them. There was a suicide bomber on the top floor of the building. He had been a client of that law firm the year prior, and he lost his law suit, which had been a custody battle over his son. Three days ago, his son died when his ex-wife's car was struck by a car going the wrong way on the freeway. In his grief-stricken mind, the bomber felt that if he'd only won the custody case, his son wouldn't have been killed in that crash. Because the law firm didn't win the custody battle for him, they were responsible for his son's death.

The building was filled with various businesses. There was a magazine publisher with a few people that worked on the weekends, and there was a sports radio station that broadcast 24/7. Otherwise, there were some insurance and CPA offices that were empty. The bomber was threatening to blow the building if anyone tried to get him or any of the people in the offices below. He admitted that he didn't want to hurt innocent people, only the law firm. But he said that if he had to hurt and suffer, then a few more people suffering with him would be okay too.

"What's a few more lives on the law firm's head?" he asked rhetorically.

The law firm had closed circuit security cameras set-up in the office, and the cops were monitoring the situation. The bomber was in the law firm's break room with the television on to the news, and he was pacing. The SWAT van next to their engine had a feed to the camera's too, and the guys could kind of see what was going on inside.

While they waited for further instruction as the tactical team and higher ups decided what the course of action would be, Edward just tried to keep himself focused. If he let his mind wander, it would make its way to Bella. He couldn't be distracted. Not in a situation like this where things could change in an instant. As he watched the people walk around, he glanced back at the screen. The guy was still pacing around the table in the break room, and it looked like he was talking to himself.

Next to the screen showing the bomber, there was one that showed the live news feed. As the news cut out to a commercial, Edward let his eyes go back to the building. Counting the floors, he went over the blue prints that the captain had shown them before in his head. He mentally walked the hallways and found the exits.

Suddenly, one of the SWAT tactical team members yelled, "Fuck!"

Edward's eyes flew to the screen where he saw the bomber with his eyes on the news screen. Shifting his eyes quickly to the news screen, Edward saw that a commercial was playing. A commercial about fathers and their children.

Before Edward's eyes could make it back to the screen with the bomber, he heard a loud boom and felt the ground shake. Looking at the building, he saw the windows at the top floor exploding.

Soon, it was a cacophony of shouting. Orders were being yelled and men were dispersing to handle the new situation.

Edward and Emmett put their masks on and followed the rest of their team. They had to get the survivors out before the building became unstable. They had more time because the blast was on the top floor of the building rather than the bottom, but the building was a little older.

Just before they cleared the doorway, Emmett and Edward made eye contact like they always did. They each raised two fingers and nodded to each other. That was their silent way of saying "Two in, two out." Both would enter the building, and they promised that both would exit.

As the different fire teams split up to go up the different stair wells, Edward couldn't be sure what he liked least – flames or shaking walls and floors. It sounded like constant thunder above him, and it only got louder as he grew closer. When they got to the floor with the radio station, Edward and Emmett opened the door and headed towards the corner of the building where the broadcasts were being done. Just as they rounded the corner, Edward heard a loud crack.

Before he could react, he felt his body being slammed into the floor, and everything went dark.


	17. Chapter 17

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 17_

Time was frozen. Bella felt like she was moving in slow motion when in reality, Alice was making her way through traffic as quickly as she could to get to the hospital. As Bella watched the cars pass by, she tried to focus on the music that Alice was streaming off her iPhone. Alice felt that it would be best to keep it to music instead of the radio to keep the news reports at bay. Hearing about what was going on wasn't going to help anyone. It would only make the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness worse.

When the news cameras showed the top floor of the building explode, Rose had screamed. She flew to the television, as if she could get in it if she got close enough. On the other side of her, Alice gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. Bella, however, just sat there with her eyes glued to the screen.

The girls sat in front of the television in silence until Bella's cell phone rang almost an hour later. When she answered it, it was Esme. She said that she didn't know what was going on, but Edward and Emmett were being taken to the hospital. That was all Bella needed to hear. She hung up the phone and relayed the message to the girls. Rose immediately burst into tears, while Bella just grabbed her stuff. Alice volunteered to drive, since they were all still under the assumption that Jasper was all right.

The area around the hospital was a nightmare. There were cars, emergency vehicles, and news cameras everywhere. By the time they got in, there were crowds of people trying to find out where their family members were. Bella just looked around and felt like she was standing still in a sea of chaos. It was so loud, and people were bumping her and jostling her left and right. After what felt like forever, she felt a hand on her arm. Turning her head, she saw Esme, whose eyes were filled with tears.

Esme pulled Bella into a hug and said, "Edward is somewhere being looked at. No one can tell me anything, not even Carlisle. He's caught up in all this too. Let's go up to his office and wait in peace. It's too crazy down here."

Bella grabbed Rose's hand behind her and placed her hand in Esme's. "Esme, this is Emmett's Rose. Can she come? Jasper's Alice is here too."

"Of course, Honey," Esme said.

Bella looked around and started to feel the walls close in on her. "If you tell me where Carlisle's office is, can I meet you there? I need some fresh air."

"Sure. His office is on the 11th floor in the West Wing. If you take the stairs right there, you can go up to the roof. It's quieter than the street," Esme said.

Bella left Rose and Alice with Esme and made her way to the stairwell. Quietly, she made her way up to the roof, one step at a time. When she got to the door, she pushed it opened and stepped into the fresh air. She could feel the warm sun on her skin, but her hands were still freezing. She found a quiet corner and sat down on the ground. After a few deep breaths, she dug out her phone and dialed.

_"Hi Baby."_

_"Mama…"_ As soon as Bella heard her mother's voice, the tears that she'd been holding back started to flood her eyes.

"_Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you okay?"_

_"Edward's been hurt at work."_ Bella could feel the hysteria bubbling inside of her, and it took everything that she had to quell it back down. She closed her eyes and made conscious breaths in and out to prevent herself from hyperventilating.

_"Oh, Baby. I'm so sorry. What happened? Is he okay?"_

_"I don't know. I'm at the hospital hiding on the roof because they're still checking on him. There was a bomb that went off in a building downtown, and he went in to try to rescue people. That's all I know."_ The more Bella said, the more tears fell from her eyes. It felt like there were sheets of tears coming down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't even see because the tears were just blinding.

_"Bella, it'll be okay. Just breathe. He's going to need you to be strong for him."_

"_Mama, what if-"_

_"Stop. You can't let yourself get caught up in the what ifs. You'll drive yourself crazy. Just wait until you know what's going on. Take it one step at a time. That's all you can do."_

Bella took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. When she did, she whispered, _"I'm scared."_

_"Me too, Sweetheart, but it's okay to be scared. That doesn't mean we're not strong. It just means that we're brave enough to admit that we're scared."_

_"I love you, Mama."_

_"I love you, Bella. Go down and check on Edward. Call me when you can._"

Bella said goodbye to her mom and took another deep breath before she went back down to Carlisle's office. She knocked gently before she opened the door. When she did, she found Esme on the couch with her arms around Rose and Alice.

Rose opened her arms to Bella, and said quietly, "Still no news. Waiting sucks."

"It does," Bella said. Memories of the last time she had to wait in a hospital came flooding back to her, and Bella had to shut her eyes and focus on the present.

Esme stood up and went to Carlisle's computer. "We can't just sit here and wait like this. We'll all go crazy. Let's see if we can get Hulu on this thing."

It took two episodes of "Once Upon a Time" before Carlisle came back to his office. After the introductions were made, he took a seat on the corner of the coffee table in front of the couch were all four women were squeezed together and holding hands.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "The boys are okay. All of them."

A collective sigh of relief came from all of the women, but Bella's heart still pounded. She knew there was a "but" in there somewhere. She could just hear it in Carlisle's tone.

"Jasper made it out without a scratch, and he and Peter were able to tell us what happened. It made helping the boys a little easier. Apparently a huge pillar cracked and came crashing down towards Edward. Emmett saw it first and pushed Edward out of the way. The pillar landed on Emmett's leg, breaking it in four places. Edward hit the ground pretty hard and got hit in the head with a piece of debris. He was knocked out and suffered a concussion."

"But they're okay?" Rose asked with a shaky voice and silent tears streaming down her face.

Carlisle nodded and affirmed, "Yes. All of the boys are okay. Everyone can go home today. Emmett will need a lot of help, since he has a full leg cast. Edward shouldn't need help. He'll have a huge headache, but he's fully functioning."

"Can we see them?" Esme asked.

"Of course. I have them both in one room. Follow me," Carlisle said.

The women followed Carlisle through the corridors of the hospital. When the door opened, they immediately heard shouting.

"You fucking asshole!" Edward yelled.

"I saved your life, you fucking ungrateful son of a bitch!" Seeing Esme walked through the door, Emmet said quickly, "I don't mean that about you, Mama Cullen."

"I didn't ask you to save me. How could you get hurt because of me, you fucker!" Edward said, running his hand through his hair.

"You would've done the same thing for me. Don't even try to deny it, Edward." Emmett said. Locking eyes with Rosalie, he smiled softly and just held his arms open.

Without a second thought, Rose ran to Emmett. Before she threw herself on him she stopped. Whispering, she said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Psh!" Emmett said. "You won't. Doc gave me some fuck-awesome meds. I've never felt better!"

With that, Rose threw half of her body across of Emmett's wide chest. When his arms closed around her, she started sobbing again.

Alice went and walked up to Jasper, who had been watching his two friends argue about who should've saved whose life.

"I'm the only one of these morons that didn't get hurt today. I'm a hero. I had to drag their unconscious asses out of that building," Jasper said. Putting his hands on Alice's hips, he added, "It's okay to admit that I'm amazing."

Alice lifted her hands and bunched them into fists. She slammed her small fists into Jasper's chest and said, "You fucking asshole. Do you have any idea how worried I was over you? I hate you!"

Jasper just laughed. He took both of her wrists in one hand and kissed her fingers. "Bullshit. You love me."

"No! I hate you because you made me sick with worry today. You probably shaved years off of my life. Do you know how much I probably aged in the last several hours?"

"Good," Jasper said. "Now you're probably the right age for me."

Bella hung back and gave Esme a moment with her son. She watched as they hugged, and Esme ran her hands over Edward's face, as if she had to check him over herself to ensure that he really was okay. When she was satisfied, she reached back for Bella.

Placing her hand in Esme's she walked closer to Edward's bed and looked at him. Edward reached out for Bella's other hand. Bella swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat and said softly, "You're okay."

It was a statement, not a question. Edward nodded and squeezed Bella's hand. "I'm okay. I'm ready to go home now. Can we go, please?"

Bella said softly, "Alice drove."

Alice detached herself from Jasper and walked over to Edward. "I can take you both home."

"Yeah, Rosie is going to come home with me. After all, I do need a hot nurse. What would be the point of getting hurt if I didn't get a hot nurse to take care of me?" Emmett said. Rose still had herself curled around him in a death grip.

Alice smiled and said, "Rose, Jasper and I will come and drop off your stuff."

"Why do I have to go?" Jasper asked.

Elbowing Jasper in the ribs, she said, "How else would I know how to get to his house, Mr. Hero? Dr. Cullen, can you check his head too?"

Carlisle just laughed and said, "Boys, I signed your release papers. You're free to go. Just follow instructions and call me if there are problems. I need to get back out there."

"I'm going to get going too," Esme said. Placing a hand on Edward's cheek, she said, "Call me later."

Edward put his hand over his mom's and said, "I will. Thanks, mom."

Bella and Esme exchanged a long, hard hug. Before she released Bella, Esme whispered in her ear, "Thank you for loving my son, Bella. I wouldn't trust him to anyone else."


	18. Chapter 18

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 18_

When Edward and Bella returned back to Bella's house from the hospital, Bella helped Edward shower and change in to a tee shirt and sweat pants. She made him a hearty chicken and vegetable stew for dinner, and she cuddled with him on the couch while they watched _The Goonies_ on television. When Edward started to nod off, Bella gave him his pain medication and walked him up to bed. She slid in next to him and listened to his soft breathing even out.

After he had been asleep for about 20 minutes, Bella quietly slid out of bed. She softly crept into the bathroom and turned on the water. Stepping under the strong spray, she closed her eyes and just let the water pelt her face and body. When it started to feel like she was drowning, Bella leaned against the wall of the shower to feel the cool tiles behind her back. With each breath she took, the reality of the day came crashing down on her. As she opened herself up to the feelings and emotions that she'd locked up and kept at bay all day, she felt herself sliding to the floor of the shower. It was as if the events of the day began to surface and physically weigh her down.

It was when Bella felt the shower floor under her that she started to cry. Once the first tears escaped, the others followed faster and more violently. It wasn't long before she was crying so hard that she couldn't hold in the sobs anymore. She couldn't catch her breath, and she couldn't stop her shoulders from heaving and shaking. Bella brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She squeezed tightly, trying to hold herself steady between her knees and the wall.

Edward rolled over in bed and reached his arm out for Bella. When all he found were cool sheets, he opened his eyes and searched for her. Quickly, he heard the sounds of her sobbing. Jumping out of bed, he walked to the bathroom. Knocking didn't even occur to him. He just grabbed the handle and twisted it open. When he opened the door, he felt the wind get knocked out of him for the second time that day. There was his pretty Bella sitting on the floor of the shower with the water pelting her head and her body wracked with sobs.

Edward shut the door behind him so the draft wouldn't follow him. He walked straight into the shower and turned off the water. Grabbing the towel off of the rack, he wrapped it around Bella's shoulders and brought her up to his chest.

When Bella realized what Edward was going to do, she put her hand on his chest. Gasping for controlled breaths, Bella said, "Stop…You'll…hurt…yourself."

Sighing heavily, Edward said, "I'm fine, Baby. It's just a bump on the head."

Gathering Bella close, Edward picked her up and took her to the bedroom. Setting her on the bed, he wrapped the blankets around her and just cuddled her close as she continued to cry. With each sob, his heart broke a little more. He knew that she was crying because of him, and he felt terrible. He didn't know how to make it better, and he'd never felt so helpless.

Bella concentrated and pushed the palms of her hands to her eyes. She focused on regulating her breathing and eventually stopped crying. After a few breaths, she looked up at Edward through tired eyes.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she said softly. "You're probably exhausted."

Edward reached over and ran his thumb lightly under Bella's eyes. He could already see that they were starting to puff up from all the crying. "Baby, I'm so sorry for what happened today. I don't know if there's anything that I can say so you'd know how sorry I am that I put you through that."

The sincerity in Edward's eyes and voice just made Bella start to cry again. She knew that if they were going to be in a serious relationship, they were going to have to go through difficult things. He had to know what she felt, and he deserved her honesty. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, and with tears still falling from her eyes, she said, "I was terrified today. When I saw that building explode, my heart sank because I knew that you were going to run in there."

Edward heard Bella's voice catch, and he just pulled her tighter against him. He kept quiet because he knew that she had to finish. She had to get it out, and he had to know. He needed to know.

"I just watched, and I kept telling myself that you'd be fine. You were going to be a hero today because you were doing the right thing by saving people. When your mom called and told me that you were in the hospital, I think I felt the world just stop for a second. The first coherent thought I had was that it was happening again. I was about to lose another man that I love so much.

When I was in the hospital waiting, I didn't let myself think about all the what ifs. I couldn't fall a part because you needed me. I had to be strong for you. I kept thinking that you'd be all right. I'd be all right. Everything would be all right. It had to. I only just found you. I couldn't lose you. Why would God be so mean to take you away too?

But what if? What if it really was happening again? What if that door opens, and your dad tells me that you were gone? Would that make me an expert because I've lost two men to public service? I know the protocol. I know how to organize funerals. I know how to settle affairs and plan wakes. I even have a dress already. God, who wants to be an expert in that?! What does that make me? Some girls dream of white wedding dresses, and I get black funeral attire? What the fuck?!"

Bella let out a bitter, watery laugh. Edward rest his forehead on Bella's and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he steadied himself and said, "I can't…I am so…Bella."

Reaching up, Bella grasped Edward's forearm in her hand and she squeezed tightly. "I know. I'll be okay, Edward. I'm just shaken and emotional, but I'll be fine. You're still here. That's all that matters."

Steeling his nerve, Edward pulled back and looked Bella in the eyes. "Is this…Am I too much? Bella, I wish I could say that I could just walk away and do something else – be a teacher, be a gardener, be a musician. Be anything safe. But I can't. Being a fire fighter is a part of who I am. I need to do it and help people. It's all I've ever wanted to do.

"But I know that by doing what I do, I will face danger again. Probably more frequently than either of us would like, and it's not fair of me to ask you to put up with it. It's not fair for me to ask you to put up with days like to day because of something that I, and I alone, have a compulsion to do. Is that what a good boyfriend does? What about a good husband? A good father? I don't have a right to ask you to live like this."

Edward felt his heart clench, but he continued because he had to. He couldn't give up that part of his identity that was a fire fighter, but he could do this for her. He could offer her an out. "Bella, I won't blame you or hate you if you decide that you can't do this. That you can't be with me and my lifestyle. I will always respect you and your decision."

Gently placing his hands on her tear stained cheeks, Edward turned Bella so they were almost nose to nose. Quietly, he said, "I will always love you, even if you need to walk away. You mean more to me than anyone ever has. But I love you enough to let you go if you need to be free of the constant worry and the incessant fear. I love you enough to live without the burden of painful days like this."

Bella felt the sobs rising in her chest again. She could feel her breathing start to escalate, and the tears were blinding. Throwing her arms around Edward's shoulders she buried her face in the crook of his neck and shoulders. By now, she would've thought that there were no more tears left to cry, but she was wrong. There were still buckets of tears left to be shed.

As Edward wrapped his arms around Bella's waist, he let her cry. He knew that he'd just presented her with a difficult choice to make. They were both tired and beyond emotional, but he had to make sure that she knew that he would let her go if she needed to be free. He knew that if she decided she couldn't be with him that it would crush him. He would do everything he told her he would do, and he would love her just the same. He'd think about her every day, and he'd love her in every thought. But he'd follow through with his word even if it shattered his heart.

She was everything to him, and she deserved the best. If she felt like the best life for her didn't include him, then he would walk away peacefully. He'd already caused enough trauma in her life for one day, that he didn't need to muddy it even further with tantrums. As he rubbed circles on her back, she felt her start to shake her head back and forth.

As Bella processed all of Edward's words, she started to shake her head. Without removing her head from his shoulder, she turned her head so he could hear her. "No. It's not that easy, Edward. You think I can just walk away from you now? If I couldn't handle it, then I wouldn't have even come to the hospital. What would've been the point of putting myself through the agony of waiting in the chaos if I was going to walk away now?"

Pulling back just slightly, Bella rest her cheek against Edward's, and said softly into his ear, "I am not leaving you, and I am not walking away. I don't want to take the road that's easy and free because that means that I don't have you. You're all I want, Edward. I'll deal with the rest that comes with you. As long as I get you at the end of the day, then that's all that matters.

"No one has ever loved me as purely and as genuinely as you do. No one has ever treasured me the way that you do. No one has ever looked at me with such adoration, and no one has ever made me feel as special as you do. It's all of these things that I can't live without. I can live with the fear and the worry more easily than I can live without you in every day of my life. I need to have you. You're worth everything else that might be hard, even days like today."

Turning her head, Bella let her lips ghost against Edward's ear, "You don't get to be rid of me that easily, Edward Cullen. I love you. I really, truly, honestly love you more than you will ever comprehend. We're in this together. You and me. Every day."


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: I'm so sorry that I've been so bad with updates. I've been having a few heath problems, and I'm still swamped at work. Updates will occur at least once a week, and I promise to try for more. Thank you for your patience and for still supporting me and this story._

* * *

_Worth the Risk - Chapter 19_

On Monday, Bella had to go back to work. She had students that depended on her, and she knew that she could never disappoint them. Due to his injury, Edward's vacation got extended and he had the entire week off of work. Even though Bella insisted that he should sleep in and enjoy his time off, Edward insisted on dropping Bella off at work.

As soon as they opened Bella's door, they heard shouting from the apartment across the hall. Both Edward and Bella stared at the door with wide eyes as it burst open.

"No! You drive like a senior citizen. Go away," Alice said. Grabbing Jasper's wrist, she pulled him out of the apartment.

"We're going in the same direction! It only makes sense for us to ride to work together. Besides, I'd probably be doing my civic duty by getting your ass out of the driver's seat of a car, you fucking speed demon," Jasper said, reaching for Alice's keys.

"Going the speed limit doesn't make me a Nascar driver. It just makes me NORMAL!" Turning to look at her audience, Alice sighed heavily. "Edward, please, please, please, tell Jasper to go away. Can't you call your Captain or your Chief? Get them to give him some sort of executive order or something? He's getting on my last damn nerve!"

Bella reached out and grabbed Alice's wrist. "How about I drive Alice to work? You boys can bond. I'm sure you miss each other. It's been a few days."

Edward and Jasper looked at each other, and Edward shook his head. "I don't miss him."

"Me either," Jasper said. "Besides, this lazy mother fucker gets to lie around all week just for getting knocked in the head. Lucky bastard."

Alice raised her fist and stepped toward Jasper, "I can help you out of your jealousy if you want."

Jasper just grabbed Alice's wrist and pulled her to him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he looked at Bella and said, "Thank you for the offer to drive Ms. Daisy, Bella, but my lady is just playing hard to get. She'd love nothing more than to drop me off at work and kiss me goodbye in front of all the boys. I wouldn't dream of depriving Edward the pleasure of dropping his woman off at work. It's not something he gets to do often enough."

"Oh, I'm not playing-" Alice said before Jasper cut her off.

"Ed, pick me up tomorrow when my shift is over since the ladies will be at work. You can just bring me back here," Jasper said, still holding onto Alice's wrists as they fought to get free.

"Who said you're invited-"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," Edward said, cutting Alice off. Winking at Alice, he said, "Bye, Love Birds!"

Bella just laughed as she and Edward walked to her car. "How long do you think they'll fight like that?"

Edward just shrugged. "Probably for the rest of their lives. I think it's their form of foreplay."

Bella made a face and shivered a little. "I don't want to see that. I don't need to see my friends mating rituals."

"If Jasper's planning to come back tomorrow, then that means Rose hasn't been home yet? She's still at Emmett's, I guess," Edward said. "I'll probably pop in on him today to see how he's doing."

Bella heard the change in Edward's voice. Stopping him before he could open her car door, she reached up and cupped her hands around his face. "Babe, Emmett getting hurt isn't your fault. He did what you would've done for him. You're brothers. It's what you do for each other, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat. You have to stop beating yourself up over it."

Edward took Bella's hands in his and kissed them. "Thank you, Baby. I love you."

"Love you too," Bella said. "Now let's get me to work, so you can pick me up again this afternoon."

An hour and a half later, Edward stood in Emmett's apartment unloading his "care package" for his friend. On his way to Emmett's apartment, Edward stopped at the grocery store for some sustenance. Emmett just sat at the counter with a huge smile on his face. As much as he loved that Rosalie was taking care of him, she would never have thought to buy him the essentials that were coming out of that grocery bag.

Slim Jims, Orange Fanta, Honey BBQ Fritos, Pretzel M&Ms, Twinkies, Frozen Pizza Rolls, Sour Patch Kids, and an assortment of popsicles.

Edward put the frozen food in the freezer and closed the door. Turning to Emmett, he said, "I didn't buy you beer because my dad would kill me if I found out I supplied his patient with alcohol."

"Dude," Emmett said. "I love Rosie, and I really love that she's been here taking care of me. But I gotta be honest. She can't really cook. She fucking tries, man, but it doesn't…That shit just doesn't taste right."

Edward chuckled at his friend and tossed him a two-pack of Twinkies. "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry, man. That sucks, but I hope you don't tell her that her food doesn't taste good."

"Fuck no!" Emmett said. "I'm smarter than that. Give me some credit. Shit. I finally got that woman to stay with me. I'm not going to fuck it up by telling her she can't cook for balls."

"I'm glad that she's been here taking care of you," Edward said. "J's been over at Alice's the whenever he's not at the station. They're still fighting like cats and dogs."

Emmett just shrugged his shoulders and shoved an entire Twinkie in his mouth. "That's just foreplay."

"Yeah, that's what I told Bella," Edward said. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he tossed one at Emmett and kept one for himself.

"How goes that anyway? You been at her place this whole time?"

Edward took a sip of his water and nodded. "Yeah. Part of me feels like I should give her some space back and go home, but I can't bring myself to leave."

"Is she telling you she wants space back?" Emmett asked.

"No," Edward said, shaking his head. "She hasn't said anything, and she's not acting any different. Bella's not a good liar, so I would be able to tell if she wasn't telling me something."

"Then what's the big deal?"

Edward just shrugged. "The longer I stay there, the less I want to go back home."

"Do you have to? Go home, I mean?" Emmett hoisted his leg up on the stool next to him and started to grab a pen to scratch under his cast.

Edward grabbed the pen and put it back on the counter. "That's disgusting. Knock that shit off. My dad is going to flip his shit if he sees you ripping your leg up under there."

Emmett just stuck his tongue out at Edward and listed as Edward continued. "Of course I have to go home. It's where I live."

"Not right now it's not," Emmett said. "Right now, you live at Bella's house. Is there some rule that says you need to stop living there?"

Right when Edward was about to say, "Yeah", he stopped and thought about it. There wasn't actually a rule in place, but that was stupid. Who made rules like that? "Okay, Captain Obvious, I get your point. But you get what I'm saying, though, right? I can't just move my stuff in there."

"Duh!" Emmett said, rolling his eyes. "Of course you need to talk to Bella about it. Maybe she'd want to live at your place instead. Your place is a shithole though. I don't even get why you live there."

"But this is all assuming that she even wants to live with me," Edward said. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "We haven't been together that long and living together is kind of a big deal, right?"

Emmett leveled Edward with a blunt stare. "Edward, what the hell have we been talking about this whole time? She wants to live with you. She hasn't kicked your ass out yet and told you to go home. You just need to have the formal discussion about it so there's no misunderstanding. Easy squeezy lemon peazy."

Edward put his hands on the counter in front of him and leaned forward, "Who the hell are you and what have you done with my best friend? Since when do you have the whole fucking world figured out?"

A huge smile broke out on Emmett's face as he said, "Since I asked Rosie to marry me, and she said yes."

Edward's jaw dropped and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I swear you just said you asked Rosalie to marry you."

"I did. And she said yes," Emmett said. "I'm a fucking catch, dude. Come on."

Edward barked out a laugh and said, "You couldn't even get the woman to admit that she was dating you until several days ago."

"And then I almost got blown up," Emmett said. "Shit like that changes a person's perspective on stuff."

"You didn't almost get blown up," Edward said. "The bomb already went off before you went in, stupid."

"So fucking literal!" Emmett said, throwing his hands in the air. "You know what I mean, goddammit! Just congratulate a motherfucker already for fuck's sake!"

Edward laughed and pushed himself off the counter. Walking around it, he hugged Emmett and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations, man. I'm really happy for you. Honestly, I am."

When Edward picked up Bella from school that afternoon, he took a short detour and took them to Baskin Robbins for another ice cream date. Once they were seated at one of the small round tables outside with two scoops of orange sherbet between them, Bella handed Edward a pink spoon. She watched him take a bite and drummed her fingers on the table.

"And the results are…"

Shaking his head, Edward said, "Not a winner, ladies and gentleman. Orange sherbet is definitely not my flavor."

Bella just laughed and took a bite. "So did Emmett share the good news with you when you saw him today?"

Edward laughed and said, "Yeah. He's super excited. I've never seen him so happy. It's pretty awesome. He's a good guy, and he deserves this."

"Rose was pretty shy about it when she had lunch with Alice and I today. She was hiding her hand, and Alice smelled something fishy and forced Rose to come clean. She was just embarrassed by how stupid she'd acted by pushing him away," Bella said. "She won't hurt him. She loves him just as much as he loves her. She was just afraid that he'd get tired of her and leave just like all the other guys before him."

"Emmett's not that guy. Not with Rosalie. He's different with her," Edward said. "He's more serious about her than he's ever been about anyone. He would never ask her to marry him if he didn't mean it."

Bella just nodded. "Alice cried."

"Why?" Edward asked.

"Because she and Rose have been roommates since they were in the same sorority in college, and she's sad to know that they won't be able to stay together like that," Bella said. Laughing, she added, "And that means that Jasper's going to be around more."

"Does she really not want him around?" Edward asked, while taking another scoop of sherbet.

Bella shrugged. "She does, but she's not ready to admit that yet. I think it's fun for her to fight with him like this. She was so used to dating younger guys that just did her bidding, so she's enjoying the back and forth with Jasper. She's afraid that if she stops fighting that the spark will be gone, and he'll get bored with her."

Edward just sighed. "I don't think Jasper is going to get bored with her. He's never stayed with anyone this long, spark or no spark. For him to keep coming back for more means something."

Laughing lightly, Bella leaned forward and offered Edward the last spoonful of sherbet. "What about you? Are you bored with me yet? You want to go home to your man cave filled with manly smells?"

Smiling to himself, Edward leaned forward and said softly, "Fuck no. I wanted to talk to you about that actually."

"About what? Your manly smells?" Bella asked. "I'm actually kind of glad I don't know what those are like. You're surprisingly unsmelly for a guy. It's kind of nice."

Edward chuckled and said, "No, not my manly smells. Hygiene is very important to me. I try very hard not to be smelly. I actually wanted to talk to you about me going home to my man cave."

Immediately, Bella felt her stomach drop. He wanted to go home, and she wasn't ready for that yet. Putting on her best brave face, she said, "What about you going home to your man cave?"

"What if I didn't?" Edward asked slowly watching her face. Bella was such an honest person that all of her emotions played through in her eyes. As much as she tried to maintain a poker face, she failed miserably. He could see that she was worried and sad.

"What if you didn't what?" Bella didn't want to assume she understood what he was saying. She wanted him to spell it out for her and say all the words, so there was no questioning whether they were on the same page.

"What if I didn't go home? What if my home was with you? All the time." Edward watched Bella's eyes and saw the moment she understood him. Her brows lifted, and the light returned to her pretty brown eyes.

"I would like that," Bella said softly. "I want you to stay with me. All the time."

Edward smiled and leaned forward. Before he pressed his lips to hers, he whispered again, "All the time. You are my home, Pretty Bella."


	20. Chapter 20

_Worth the Risk – Chapter 20_

Carlisle sat in the kitchen reading his newspaper and drinking his coffee as Esme cut up fruit for their breakfast. When she sat the bowl of fruit, yogurt, and granola down in front of him, he looked down into the bowl and frowned.

"Woman, must you punish me? When we first got married, you would make me amazing breakfasts. French toast. Denver omelets. The occasional eggs benedict," he said with a wistful tone in his voice.

Esme snorted and said, "That was thirty years ago, Carlie. Your heart and your liver were 30 years younger. You can't eat like a young man anymore."

"I believe I demonstrated that I've still got some young man magic last night," Carlisle muttered under his breath.

"That you did," Esme said. "But we have to take better care of ourselves. If Edward continues to be a good boy, I may finally get a grandchild."

"Es, they just moved in together a couple of months ago. That doesn't mean they'll get married and start popping out kids," Carlisle said, begrudgingly picking up his spoon.

"Mothers know everything," Esme said as her blanket explanation. "Besides, it's about time that I start cutting back at work. Angela's ready to take the reins. I've just been holding on and staying involved because I have nothing better to do."

"You could do charity work," Carlisle said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Esme rolled her eyes. "The whole reason I didn't want to stay in Alaska was because I didn't want to be a society lady. I wanted to have my own life and do my own thing. I like my career, and I'm proud of my success. I don't want to spend my time going to lunch with these yuppie broads that only care about the next sale at Neiman Marcus."

That caused Carlisle to snort. "So your plan is to wait it out at work until you can trade in your title as President and Creative Director to Granny?"

"Oh no," Esme said. "Do I look like I belong in Little Red Riding Hood? It's Nana or Grandma. Never Granny. Get with it, Gramps."

Shaking his head, Carlisle said, "If you can veto Granny, I veto Gramps. I'm not some old fart that's all crotchety and grouchy. I'm going to be a cool grandpa."

"Really now, Carlie? What's going to make you a cool grandpa?" Esme asked with raised eyebrows.

"You know. I'm down with the kids. I've played video games with the boys a time or two. I can keep up," he said with a nod of his head.

"I wait for the day, Carlisle Cullen. I wait for the day," Esme said. "I'll be the cool grandma that videos your grandchildren beating you on Wii, and then I'll upload it on YouTube."

"You wound me, Es. We're supposed to be partners," Carlisle said with a chuckle. "In fact, I may just have to go in to see the Board to talk about transitioning me to a different position at the hospital."

That made Esme turn in her seat to fully look at her husband. All joking was now put aside. "Really, Carlisle? And what new position would that be?"

"As you like to point out at least once a day, I'm no spring chicken anymore. I've put in 35 really solid years, and there are some really talented, good hearted doctors behind me. They've earned their stripes, and it's about time this old man get out of the way to give them a chance to lead," Carlisle said. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Just yesterday the Board asked me what I thought about transitioning to join them within the year. I'd take on more of an advisor position than a practical, operational one."

"Is that something that you want to do?" Esme asked cautiously. "I want you to be happy, Carlisle. That's always been the most important thing to me."

Carlisle reached over to take his wife's hand. "I'll miss being directly involved with my patients, and I'll miss the adrenaline rush of triage. But I can think of nothing that'll make me happier than to take our grandkids to the park, or watch their soccer practices."

Esme felt her heart warm. Leaning forward, she put her other hand on Carlisle's leg and said softly, "So, you think you're ready to break out your diaper changing skills again?"

"It's just like riding a bike," Carlisle said. Closing the gap between them, Carlisle pressed his lips to hers.

"My eyes!" Edward yelled as he walked into the kitchen. When Esme gave her son the one-finger salute, Edward scoffed. "You know, it's a wonder that I turned out the way that I did when I had parents that flipped me off after inflicting severe mental trauma."

Bella just rolled her eyes and elbowed Edward. Walking forward, she gave Esme and Carlisle a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Dear. Would you like some breakfast? Esme made chipmunk food," Carlisle said, pointing to his now empty bowl.

"Shut up, Carlie," Esme said, patting him on the leg.

"Bella made Banana Fosters pancakes this morning," Edward said, sticking his tongue out at his father.

"You suck," Carlisle said to his son, while winking at Bella.

"No, but Bella does and well too," Edward said with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Edward!" Bella said, feeling her face burn bright red.

"Oh, I need brain bleach," Esme said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry my son is such a cad, Bella."

"What? It's payback for them swapping spit and forcing me to witness it so early in the morning," Edward said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's no excuse for embarrassing your girl," Carlisle chided.

"I think we need to talk about something else before this conversation goes further into a ditch," Bella said. Pushing past her mild embarrassment, she said, "Emmett and Rosalie are supposed to get here at eleven. How can I help you?"

"Jasper and Alice should be here shortly. Jasper has to help me get Em's gift ready," Edward said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Bella turned and gave Edward a blank stare. "Sometimes, you act like one of my kids."

Carlisle laughed. "Your kids are probably better behaved than he is most times."

"Hey!" Edward said. "I know how to color in the lines. I eat my vegetables, and I'm an excellent nap taker."

Bella laughed and leaned forward to place a quick peck on Edward's cheek.

Esme felt her heart warm for the second time that morning. She was so happy that Edward had found Bella, and she couldn't have picked a better match for her son. When she'd loaded their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, Esme tossed an apron at Bella and said, "I've got all of the ingredients for lunch in the refrigerator. Does Alice know how to cook?"

Bella let out a guffaw and shook her head. "Alice is an expert in Lean Cuisine frozen dinners and ready-made salad packs from the deli section in the grocery store."

"Hmmm," Esme said. "Well, then she can decorate. I don't want her making a mess in my kitchen."

"That would probably be best," Bella said. "Alice is great at arts and crafts. She always helps me with those projects in school. We trade services. I make her class party snacks, and she helps me prep all my craft projects."

"Mom, are you really going to let someone be in charge of decorating?" Edward asked. He'd taken a seat next to his father at the counter and was drinking his coffee while reading the paper. "I'm just saying that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go all interior decorator nazi on the day of Emmett and Rosalie's engagement party."

Esme put her hands on her hips and glared at her son. "Excuse me?"

Edward shrunk back and hid behind the sports section. "Nevermind."

Just then, the front door burst open and the arguing could be heard through the house.

"I told you we were going to be late," Jasper said.

"If you had let me drive, we would have been here on time!" Alice yelled.

"And we would've broken ever traffic law in this county. I don't know why you had to change your purse. You're not going to be carrying it around with you. What does it matter?"

"Of course you wouldn't understand. You're the guy wearing black shoes with a brown belt!"

Esme looked at Bella and asked quietly, "Are they still like this?"

Bella just nodded and took a sip of Edward's coffee. "They argue more than they actually talk. But we try not to stick around too long when they start."

"Is it uncomfortable to be around them when they argue?" Carlisle asked as the arguing got louder and closer.

"Nope," Edward said. "The sexual tension starts to get uncomfortable. No one likes to be around when they pounce on each other. It's like animals mating. It's pretty gross."

"Shut the fuck up, Cullen," Jasper said as he walked through the door. "You got the goods?"

"Of course," Edward said. Hopping up, he kissed Bella on the cheek. "Let the preparations begin! Come on, Whitlock, we gotta get everything out of my trunk."

Esme watched Edward and Jasper run back out the door like little boys. "What are the up to?"

Bella took one last sip of Edward's coffee. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "I've decided that ignorance is bliss in this instance. I have a feeling that whatever they're up to is going to be disastrous."

Alice nodded in agreement. "Entertaining, but disastrous. They've been whispering and texting each other about this all week."

"Yeah, the textual relations between those two was borderline obsessive this week," Bella said, as Esme and Carlisle just laughed.

"You know, I always wanted to have more than one child, but God had other plans for us," Esme said with a sigh. "Ever since Edward started working with Emmett and Jasper, it's like I have two more overgrown sons."

Carlisle stood up and placed a kiss on Esme's hair. "Well, dear, if the boys behave, then you'll have three daughters to add to your brood."

As Carlisle walked out of the kitchen to make sure Edward and Jasper weren't up to too much trouble, Alice flapped her mouth open and shut like a fish out of water. "Uh…I…We're not…"

Bella just looked at Alice and laughed. Wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulders, she said, "Alice, I love you, but be honest for just a second and admit that you love that man-child out there."

Leaning her head on her friend's shoulder, Alice said, "God help me but I do."

Esme just laughed. Pulling the girls into a tight hug, she said, "I always wanted daughters. Now, let's get started. Emmett and Rosalie will be here soon, and knowing my other son, he'll be hungry."

For the next three hours, Alice made flower arrangements and set the table. She decorated the outdoor patio and color coordinated the linens inside the house with those outside. Meanwhile, Esme and Bella cooked like they were feeding an army. They made Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork Sliders, Shrimp and Vegetable Kebabs, Cobb Salad, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Strawberry Shortcake, and Fruit Salad. Once Carlisle was sure that Edward and Jasper weren't going to destroy his home, he prepared coolers of chilled beer and bottled water, and he made his famous red and white sangrias.

At eleven, the girls finished setting up the buffet table. Rose and Emmett's parents arrived ahead of the couple and caught up. They'd first met shortly after the two got engaged, and they quickly became friends. While everyone made small talk, Bella, Esme, and Alice noticed that Edward and Jasper were conspicuously missing.

When Rose walked out onto the back patio by herself, everyone looked at her confused. With a sly look in her eyes, she said simply, "I forgot something in the car and asked Em to get it."

Not a minute later, a loud shout came from the front yard. Giggling, Rose added, "Mom, Dad, I would move closer to the house if I were you."

Heeding their daughter's advice, Mr. and Mrs. Hale moved closer to the house just as Emmett came running through the back gate into the Cullen's enormous back yard. Following quickly behind him were Edward and Jasper, decked out in full camo and bearing paintball guns. Each time they got a round off that hit their target, Emmett released a shout or a cuss.

Knowing that this would take a while, Carlisle offered Rosalie's parents a drink and a seat. As they all sat down with beverages in hand, they watched the boys streak back and forth across the lawn. Emmett would try to hide behind trees and flowers, but due to his size he could never fully conceal himself. Finally, he made his way behind the greenhouse and found the treasure trove that Edward and Jasper left for him.

Putting on the goggles, he picked up the paintball gun and burst around the corner like he was Rambo. "It's on now, bitches!"

"Emmett Dale McCarty!" his mother yelled with a roll of her eyes.

"Not now, Ma! I'm in the middle of a war!" Emmett yelled, making his way slowly to where Edward and Jasper were hiding behind Esme's rose bushes.

"If any of you harm my roses, I'll tan all your hides!" Esme shouted. Taking another sip of her sangria, she said, "Carlie, this is excellent. I think I'll have another one."

Eventually, Edward and Jasper split up. While Jasper lured Emmett in, Edward snuck around behind. When they were sure they had him, Edward lunged and tackled Emmett into the pool. When Emmett popped up, choking and laughing at the same time, Jasper jumped in next to him, so close that he almost landed on him. "Cannonball!"

That created a round of water wrestling that lasted about five minutes. When the boys were sufficiently tuckered out, they laughed and high fived each other. Swimming over to the side of the pool, Edward lithely popped out of the water with ease, even weighed down with soaking wet camo. Offering Emmett his hand, he pulled his friend out of the water. He slapped Emmett on the back a couple times and said, "See how much more fun this is now that you got your cast off?"

"Fuck yeah!" Emmett said. "This has to be the best engagement party ever!"

When the three walked over to the patio, Esme held out her hand. "Stop right there, boys!"

Bella, Alice, and Rose each handed their men a stack of towels and dry clothes.

"Go change in the pool house," Esme said. "You will not track water and grass all over my house."

"You should be proud of us, Mom," Edward said with his brightest smile.

"And why is that, son?"

"Because at least we thought about what we were doing ahead of time. Why do you think we ended up in the pool? We wanted to wash the paint off," Edward said.


End file.
